Wild Abandon
by AlwaysMakingTrouble
Summary: Raven struggles with her emotions constantly and Beast Boy is her main focus, but will a strange recruiting ceremony of the HIVE five interrupt more than just a date? How will Raven react to what they do to Beast Boy? DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS
1. Dreams and Talks of Tea and Tofu Waffles

**Hey, everyone. I'm just saying this might not be the best piece of literary work :) It's my first fanfic so... please no flames... feel free to comment :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS IN ANY FASHION.**

Dreams and Talks of Tea and Tofu Waffles

Chapter 1

_~She wanted to run… no… wanted to sprint, but she couldn't. Her father now ruled the world and destroyed every living thing… The skyline, usually obscured by skyscrapers was now well visible because of the damage her father had done. She was completely lifeless, dust, part of the air. There was no excuse for what her father had done now. The whole Earth's only hope was four unexperienced teens; they may have defeated Slade and the HIVE five, but this was too much. An alternate demension demon now reigned the only planet that offered any compassion. "All is lost..." I whispered in the wind._

~_There was a swirling mass of intertwined colors, thoughts, and emotions. The images flickered and warped until they created a beautiful picture of a surreal looking young man who appeared to be about fifteen. He made every painting I've ever seen look like an infant had gotten ahold of a crayon and had some fun scribbling. His name evaded my grasp for now, but it did'nt make a difference what his name was of if he even had one. He was beautiful. His eyes changed from a warm syrup color to an inviting hazel and back in a hypnotizing fashion. They drew me into him-into his soul so it seemed. His curly brown-black hair swiped over his strong brow, framing those deep, enticing eyes. Olive skin stretched over his well muscled frame and unhumanly alluring facial structure. Pale lips stretched over perfectly square, white teeth... Gar... Garfield... His name slowly came to me. Garfield Mark Logan..._

~The image slowly melted as if thinking of his name broke some sort of trance. I groaned audibly in dispare; he haunted my dreams and stalked my thoughts for quite a time now. He was everywhere I looked, everywhere I listened, everything I did... _Thump! _I upstarted, heart flying, mind racing, and suddenly prespiring.

~"Hello?" My voice wavered uncharacteristically. "Who's there?"

~No relpy.

~"Am I alone?" My voice grew adgitated, for I knew I was not.

~As if on cue, shuffling grew louder outside my door and light seeped from underneath with the exception of two areas of blocked light which I assumed to be feet. A timid knock pierced through my room's quiet. I grunted to lift myself off my circular bed and glided to the door. The door slid open slightly, causing a shaft of yellowish light to illuminate a portion of my face and temporarily blinding me. After blinking a couple of times, I stood looking up into emerald eyes whose owner's slumped body expressed the exhaustion his eyes never contained.

~"What?" I asked simply.

~"Can I come in?" He yawned and began pushing my door to the side.

~I stomach quivered, and Envy and Lust struck me as I observed him in such close proximity. "No," I stopped my door from sliding further.

~"Thought I heard you talking from upstairs," An impish smile touched his lips.

~"You probably did," I shrugged. The corners of my mouth upturned slightly, and I fought to supress the urge to smile. "Are you going to stand at my door all night?"

~He mimicked my shrug. "Eh... Can't go back to sleep."

~"Beast Boy..." I sighed slightly worried. "You **need **to sleep after the battle we had today."

~"Well," He shot me a grin that nearly made my heart stop. "Can I come in there and try?"

~Agitation began to touch my voice in warning. "No. One. Goes. In. My. Room," I began to shut him completely out of my room and he caught the door right before it closed. My hands grew frigid and my vision blurred my a veil of dark energy. "Beast Boy," I growled. Irritation settled in my esophagus and swelled until I thought I was going to burst.

~"Raven..." He cooed quietly. "Relax... Breathe... Don't be angry..."

~The veil dissipated and my hands returned to their normal temperature. I smiled slightly and thought, _You always know just how to calm me down. It's a shame you don't know what you mean to me... I really wish you did... _However, my stomach groaned and pleaded for some food. My hand flew to my abdomen as if to silence its complaints. My efforts to keep quiet were futile and Beast Boy slapped his forehead with his palm and squinted his large, round eyes.

~"_That's_ your whole problem!" He laughed quietly. "You're _hungry_! C'mon, Rae, let's get you some food and me some tofu waffles and we'll be just fine."

~I smiled inwardly. _As long as I'm with you,_ I thought. _I'm more than 'just fine'-I'm perfect._


	2. Reminiscing and Movie Talk

**Hello again! Still feel free to read and review! It's still not the best but hey! It's worth it! No flames please! **

Reminiscing and Movie Talk

Chapter 2

~I did nothing to encourage him to stay but he pleaded with his giant, sparkling eyes and captivating smile. He brought his large leaf green hands to his face and folded them under his well defined cheeks. "Rae, pleeeaaassseee?" He batted his eyelashes. "Humor me."

~I smiled and shut the door on my irresistible friend. I didn't want to hurt his feelings or, in the process of letting him down, sacrifice our friendship. I felt an intense attraction to him, yet I couldn't be sure whether it was physical, emotional, or just me being plain out selfish. Whatever it was hindered me from hurting his feelings and doing anything to jeopardize our friendship. I needed to meditate to clear my mind of my distressed dreams, but, as always, he drew me in with his inescapable gravity.

~"Rae, I'll leave you alone the rest of the day and whatever, really! I don't wanna harass you and stuff but... yeah... so... would you please consider at least-"

~I rolled my eyes as he continued his rambling about promises and felt Irritation rising while Happy and Affection attempted to bring her into submission. I abruptly cut him off mid sentence, sliding my door closed. I spun around and flicked on the lights which revealed my slightly creepy yet comforting, Spartan room; darting over to my minuscule closet, I heard a sliding noise against my door, a thump, and a sigh of defeat. I snatched a gray jacket from amongst my abundance of indigo cloaks slightly panicking, flipped the hood up quickly, and floated back to my door.

~Flipping off my lights and planting my small hand on my steel door, I whispered through the door, "Um... Gar? Can I get out of my room, or are you holding me prisoner in here?"

~There was a monkey like squeal and childish clapping, but sliding my door open revealed my bare chested and grinning friend. I hesitantly stepped into the hall knowing there was no going back for the rest of the morning. My eager beaver- a smile danced on my lips at my own private joke- walked with half slumped shoulders with the weight of fatigue resting heavily on him. I levitated quietly next to him brooding over how close I had become to my friends and how much they must have cared for me. The soft crunching of carpet underneath Beast Boy's feet soothed my nerves and coaxed my emotions to release the final memory of my demon father's defeat. My friends had tried to defeat him with the leftover power I gave them before my father dearest used me as a portal to Earth. Robin, being the leader as he was, searched for me so I could destroy my own father (no big deal really, we never did have a good relationship) and restore the Earth as we once knew it. In this process, I grew closer to my friends and learned to control my emotions to where I only occasionally blew something to bits. Not only did I control my emotions, I was able to feel freely now. I could laugh and be sad and frightened; honestly, I never knew how nice it would be to feel... And then, of course, i accidentally fell for my other Titan friend, Garfield Mark Logan. I felt safe with him under every circumstance. My feelings had almost nothing to do with his strong, sixteen year old build, however. I knew when worst came to worst that he would protect me from anything and everything... including myself.

~He seemed to sense my probing stare or racing thoughts and glanced up at me with a grin. However, his grin melted into a look of concern and almost a distorting frown. His slumped shoulders fell even further and his pointy ears drooped. "I'm worried about you, Raven," He continued walking, and I flinched as he used my name instead of his pet name "Rae."

~"Uh... Why?" I asked perplexed.

~"Because…" He seemed to be searching for the right words.

~I raised an eyebrow while I waited.

~"You're the youngest in the group and well…" he paused rethinking what he was saying. "Have you ever thought of…" he sighed distressed.

~I placed a hand on his shoulder and flinched as it seemed as if a circuit of electricity connected with our touch. I feared this conversation was headed in the direction of the one had wandered to one of my only sore subjects-Malchior... The end of that conversation resulted in me thowing him out of my room and hiding in there crying for three days. I was still sensitive to that because the argument just took place last week and I still had nightmares about Malchior's betrayal as well as Terra's betrayal, which scarred me even deeper because of how she hurt Beast Boy.

~"Whatever you're trying to say doesn't like you too much..." I smiled softly. "Maybe that's the best..."

~He nodded and grinned sheepishly. "Well, onto another subject... Um... You know... I've been thinking lately-and yes, I do think- Wicked Scary 3 came out this past Tuesday...." His eyebrow raised for conformation. "And, I thought that if I used my," he slicked his hair back theatrically. "fantastic Beast Boy charm to-"

~"_You_ have charm?" I interrupted sarcastically filled with relief that he changed the subject so willingly.

~"Anyway..." He rolled his emerald eyes jokingly. "What do you think? Are you up for that?"

~I mimicked his uplifted brow in slight shock. The first time I watched the first Wicked Scary was awful for everyone, the second one was bad but not as bad as the first time, and everyone feared what might happen if I watched the third one. "Um... Are you sure you want to do that?" I asked cautiously.

~He shrugged. "That's why I was asking you if you were up to it."

~"Oh..." I was touched by his compassion, and Affection had a field day with that one.

~_Awwww!! How **cuteee**!_ She shouted eagerly. _He was checking if you could handle the movie! That's so sweet!_

~Brave shrugged and said, _You can handle it, Rae._

~I nodded at thier imput and BB laughed aloud. "Consulting your emotions?"

~I nodded a second time and smiled at him as we reached the Common Room and beheld the sight of a sleeping city in the three A.M. lights under a mass of black velvet sky through the glass plated wall. I smiled as we stopped and just stood in the dark observing our beloved city. We shared this one moment of quiet and calm in perfect, comfortable silence.


	3. Author's Note

**As you can tell... this is an author's note...**

**I'm just here to apologize for the waits on all of my updates. (:**

**I have to do things during the week, so I might only be able to update on the weekends!**

**Just keep reading and reviewing!**

**I greatly appreciate all the reviews thus far! (:**


	4. Power Outtage and a Nap

**Thank you all for your support! Shukrani sana! Please keep reviewing! If you have suggestions, just drop me a review, and I'll be glad to consider it! I'm really sorry about the short chapters and such, but I'd already written this so... Anyway! Here you go!**

Power Outage and a Nap

Chapter 3

He sighed gently, and there was a wish... one of those stupid wishes like one might make at 11:11... The wish was to live in this moment forever and not ever have to worry about bad guys and pricks like that or worry about where our future was headed or even worrying about something as insignificant as eating. There was just a moment in time where everything felt unnecessary. His hand gently brushed mine, releasing a slight coating of electric heat dancing on my skin and an urge to cradle him like a small child seeped into my mind. I knew right then and there that I loved Garfield Mark Logan. I could be myself around him no matter what, and although I knew I wasn't much company, he seemed to enjoy when I was around and seemed to know when I was struggling. I usually levitated and secretly listened to him ramble as he cooked his tofu this and tofu that; however, he thought I simply ignored him because I always appeared to be meditating, reading , deep in thought, or acting like I tried to ignore him, which, in some cases, I was ignoring him but mostly I wasn't. The thought finally hit me with such significance. I. Loved. Him? I wheeled mentally reassuring myself that it was brotherly like Cyborg and Robin... right? Sadly, there was nothing to fear, for I knew he would go for someone similar to (I mentally hissed the name)..._ Terra_... I sighed inwardly. I was too creepy, emotionally disturbed, uncontrollable... to weird to be his, but I silently said a little prayer that one day it might be...

~"Um... Rae?" he whispered causing me to jump at his close proximity. "Are you trying to chew your bottom lip off?" His voice was caring and jolted me from my momentary reverie in which I had begun to gnaw my lip practically off my face.

~"Right..." I muttered, still coming out of my deep thoughts and was blinded as he flipped on the lights.

~Walking over to the stainless steel refrigerator, Gar swept by me stirring his delicious scent; I followed close behind soaking up his smell. I playfully shoved him out of the way with a smile and began searching for something decent to eat in the midst of unfinished ice cream, boxes of unfinished pizza, and Starfire's untouched alien cooking. Oddly enough, I settled for a bottle of Coke and two slices of cold, cheese and spinach pizza; closing the fridge door telekinetically, I drifted to a jutting wall near the Common Room. I faced the city and felt utterly at ease as I levitated a foot off the ground and Beast boy sitting to my right on the kitchen island. I downed the Coke and scarfed down the pizza in a matter of minutes and sighed. A pang of despair clouded my mind as I just knew that somehow all this would end in tragedy like waking up from this dream. After all, this _had _to be a dream.

~Sighing once more, I folded my hands neatly in my lap and glared at my faintly grey skin in disgust. I heard Gar move around but paid no particular attention to it, figuring he most likely stood to stretch. Suddenly his shadow enveloped me and his ever gloved but now bare, green, masculine hand covered my delicate, pale ones. The warmth of his tender caress spread like wild fire through an electric course in my body. I trembled slightly in fear, despair, happiness, and something else I couldn't identify. Only a second later, however, air whooshed past me and pain speared my lower back and the back of my head as I landed on the floor with a thump and a clack.

~"Raven!" BB's voice was exasperated, confused, and worried. Then, the lights flickered and went out unceremoniously.

~I lay on my back momentarily confused and realized my sudden collision of emotions must have blown the primary generator for the Tower. The backup generator kicked on ten seconds later. "Oops..." I mumbled still on the cold tile.

~"Oops is right... Cy's gonna be pissed," I could hear a small smile in his voice but couldn't see his face for the fact that his whole body eclipsed one of our many overhead lights. My eyes dilated as he reached out to take my hand but did not react further because I was frozen in shock over my momentary loss in power and blowing the generator all at the same time. He sighed and tenderly scraped me up off the floor and into his well defined arms.

~"Beast Boy... Gar, I-" I began indignantly as if to protest being held like a child and silenced as I gazed into the crystal clear, green eyes of my companion. I noted how gracefully and smoothly he walked, how he seemed to emanate warmth, and his slow, unburdened breathing as if I were just a small, awkward package being carried to the Common Room. What I did _not _notice, however, is that my hand had left its resting place on my stomach and traveled onto his warm, well muscled chest. He didn't seem perturbed that my cold, trembling hand now rested on his chest. His heart never lost its steady strong rhythm either. I could have stayed in that moment forever, but, despite my observations and to my dislike, I remained for only twelve lenghty strides.

~He reached the Common Room's large, semicircular couch with a sharp step down a level where our massive television met the floor and collection of movies, video games, and gaming systems resided. I glanced up at him when he abruptly stopped and found his lips curled into a smug, lopsided smile as he beheld me cradled like an infant in his arms. That smile always my my heart thump out of sync and extenuated his slight under-bite and caused his face to look so incredibly human, with the exception of his fang and green skin.

~"So..." I began still loving every minute in his arms. "I guess this is how it is to really feel?"

~"I don't know exactly what you mean by that, but if it's the same thing I'm feelin', then yes," He laughed and dumped me playfully on the couch.

~My hood had long since fallen off, and I proudly wore a grin as big as his. "Don't make me send you into another dimension," I threatened lightheartedly. I laughed along blissfully with him but was rudely interrupted by the toaster exploding into bits. Sighing, I reigned in my emotions and put them in check, paying particular attention to Anger, Fear, and Anger's twin Despair.

~"Damn..." he sighed rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm sorry... I just... I guess I just wanted to make you happy before the guys woke up."

~"But... Gar... You **_do_**make me happy..." I replied flatly while struggling with Happy and my new emotion whose name I had yet found out.

~He smiled slightly, eyes brimming with defeat. "But I wish you could _show_ it."

~"Me too, Gar. Me too."

~I felt a slight tingling on the back of my neck and in my fingertips as I used my dark powers to lift one of our twelve remotes and change the channels. I scrolled past several useless sports channels and spotted my defeated friend flop on the couch scowling with arms folded. He fumed for a while but seeing the blinking red numbers on one of our numerous gaming systems repetitively announcing 5:30 A.M. hypnotized him; eventually, his jaw went slightly slack and his eyelids drooped then closed. Soon, I heard a soft snore escape my beloved's lips, which enticed me to recline on the couch and rest my head on his shoulder. The unimpressive news and flashy commercials darting across the TV weren't enough to invite me to keep my eyes open and divert my attention from the steady breathing of my companion. His soft amusing snore escaping from his slightly parted, perfect lips lulled me to sleep by 5:45.

* * *

**Sorry for the wait! Please keep reviewing! And feel free to tell me what you think I sould add!**

**Amani!**


	5. Waking Up in Every Sense of the Word

**Hey, everyone! I would just like to say thank you for all the support and to pleaseee keep reading and reviewing! Sorry for a bunch of short chapters, but as I've said, I'm just redoing this on the site... (:**

Waking Up in Every Sense of the Word

Chapter 4

~_I knew I was asleep , head resting on Beast Boy's shoulder, and I knew I was dreaming because I stood next to Gar and Cyborg who cast his shadow over the both of us. We stood on a floating rock with several red dwarfs and black moons casting wraith like shadows on us. I stood in Nevermore, the corrupted empire of my mind, glaring at Happy, Timid, and Brave, each taking control when I neared BB. Happy urged her laughter while Timid was scared he wouldn't like us while Brave implied that I take control of my emotions and go for him. Then, there was me. Emotion ridden I scanned Gar and Cy's faces as they looked in confusion at Happy, Timid, and Brave who cowered in the shadow of Anger. Timid squeaked to Happy who plotted with Brave while Anger destroyed my mind. Cyborg was drawn into Brave's tactics at how to beat Anger, and I trusted that they would distract Cy effectively. Gar frantically grasped my hand and pulled me into his arms._

_~"I will never let go..." he whispered._

_~His sweet breath hypnotized me as did his flawless eyes soon obscured by his smooth eyelids and long, blunt lashes. I closed my eyes wishfully, and the hair on the back on my neck stood on end as he pressed his hand against the small of my back and my face. Shame fled and I leaned forward to complete a long desired circuit, but, an instant before I fulfilled my dreams' desires, I was torn away and filled with the fiery stronghold of Trigon's wrath. _

_~Then, quickly as the dream had come, there was nothing. Nothingness reigned. No pain nor happiness, no fear nor faith, nor any feeling at all took place. Darkness overwhelmed me, making me feel so small and..._ Faint chirping of birds and gleaming light flooded my confused brain quickly. I snapped awake moving jerkily.

~The first thing my eyes rested on (after a good yawn that is) were the blinking red numbers on the GameStation announcing in blurry numbers 9:30 A.M. I yawned and stretched again rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. When I reopened my eyes, the sight I beheld forced me to gasp loudly and Panic, Fear's sister, darted around my mind manically. The clock I had mistaken for yelling the late morning time now clearly warned 12:31 P.M.

~The second sight, however, broke straight through my stone fascade and nearly gave me a heart attack. _SHIT!_ I screamed in my head. A box of leftover pizza now lay on the coffee table wide open and pizza-less. Fantically serching the room for who ate what was left in the box, I realized I was alone. The word reverberated in my skull. Strength returned to my limbs and I stretched out. I effortlessly levitated off the couch into open air. I swiftly darted down the halls and corridors to my room, door slightly open. I was too frazzled to even notice the door ajar. I drifted in, and light filtered in my room through sheer violet curtains falling on my carpeted floor, circular bed, bookshelf and single dresser.

~I floated to my closet and donned my usual black leotard, indigo cape, and indigo boots. I slowly folded my black tanktop, black shorts, and black jacket and neatly placed them in my dresser. I casually picked up my silver, heirloom brush to comb my tangled, violet hair. Then, I spotted something out of place, or should I say extra?

~Lying on my bed was my favorite flower resting on a piece of paper- a violet on parchment. My eyes widened and the hand holding my brush released it causing the brush to hit the soft bark of my dresser with a thump. I walked over to my bed and sat gently, my eyes never leaving the violet on yellowed paper. I carefully twirled the violet between my thumb and forefinger as I read the messy scrawl on parchment.

~_Raven,_

_~Um... yeah... if you're reading this, that means you're awake... Sorry I used come of your fancy paper but um... I couldn't find anything else to write on... You're probably freaking out about the pizza box... Yeah... That was mine... Didn't want to wake you up by trowing it away, so I just let you sleep..._

_~I'm outside with Rob and Cy... So... I want to talk to you about something I wanted to do with you tonight... wow... that sounded wrong... Anyway, um... Thanks for staying up with me earlier... I promise I won't say anything about it... And I was right... Cy was PISSED about the generator and the toaster... I took up for you on that one... Surprisingly, he bought it... Rob suspects the worst as usual..._

_~Well... come talk to me when you get this... I hoped you liked violets... It matched your eyes..._

_~I'm always here if you need me..._

_~Gar_

~I smiled sheepishly feeling my cheeks get hot. I tucked the note carefully in the only "pocket" I had, which just so happened to be my bra. I sat a moment longer on my circular bed aimlessly kicking the air and daydreaming. Suddenly, I felt a presence outside my door.

~"Who is it?" I asked before the knock.

~"It is I, friend Raven."

~I instantly knew who it was. I floated over to my door and opened it slightly. Starfire looked down at me with her huge alien eyes. "What do you need, Star?" I blushed as I realized my voice was slightly dreamy...

~She blinked a couple of times in shock at my blush. "I saw you and friend Beast Boy this morning while you two slept. I felt the need to reassure you that none of our other friends happened to see."

~A shadow of a smile touched my lips. "Thanks, Star..."

~"May I come in? I wish to speak with you about our green friend," Her six foot five alien frame towered over mine and she peered in my room.

~"No," I said firmly glaring up at her meeting her perplexed gaze.

~"Oh, I see..." She looked away. "Then, will you come and make laughter with our friends and me?"

~"What are you guys doing?" I was suddenly wrought with curiosity and slid my door open further.

~"I am to watch friend Cyborg and Beast Boy play the 'Extreme Stank Ball'... You know of this game, yes?" Her eyes, if possible, brightened.

~_More than I would like..._ I thought blandly. "Yeah... I didn't know today was the twelfth. Why do you ask?"

~"They asked me to be their referee. Please, what is this referee of which they speak? These earth ways are still so strange to me."

~"Well, I'll tell you, but you might wanna volunteer Rob," she blushed violently.

~"Um... Is this game difficult to follow?" She asked innocently.

~"Yes, and on top of that, it smells," I felt a smile tugging at my lips again. "If you want to smell like BB, Cy, and Rob's dirty socks and workout clothes for a week, then go ahead."

~"OH!" she exclaimed. "Thank you, dear Raven, I shall certainly volunteer Robin, " she blushed again.

~"Hold on. I'll be right out," I said eagerly. I drifted over to my closet yet again and quickly undressed, leaving the clothes I had worn on the floor. I reached in the back of my closet and pulled out a scarcely worn white leotard and cape with white boots. Smiling, I redressed in the white clothes and walked out of my room, arms open in approval from Starfire.

~Her eyes opened wide. "I have not seen you in this attire since we defeated Trigon," she gaped.

~"I felt like it today," I justified and began levitating towards the elevator. Star stood in shock a moment, stumbled, and strode over to where I levitated.

~"It... is a good look on you," She flashed her classic smile, flaming red hair trailing behind her as she walked. I took small notice of how she walked so eagerly and confidently towards the elevator. A worried look crossed her face. "I shall hope they have not begun without us, yes?"

~I nodded in reply. "If they have, they have; if they haven't, they haven't."

~She looked at me out of the corner of her wide eyes once we got in the elevator. "Raven, do you hope or love? Do you feel now that Trigon is-"

~An invisible wave hit me and I toppled over with such force that Star rushed to my side. My vision blurred and Hurt wildly raced in my mind, hindering Logic, Wisdom, and Knowledge. My ears rang and I saw several mixed up images of the H.I.V.E. and two new members walking down the street. The girl had curly red hair, ruby eyes, and a spiral barbed wire tattoo and seemed to look straight at me. The boy she stood by had sandy blond hair and a similar eye color and tattoo. He looked down at her and they both looked more like animals than people. The image shifted again and was replaced by a fuzzy image of Beast Boy in the med ward of the tower. The next was Jinx. The next was the whole gang of the H.I.V.E. sprawled out dead before my feet.

~An incomprehensible word pulled me from my vision. The voice continued until its clarity was restored. "Raven!" It shouted and several Tamaran words flew. I opened my eyes and blinked rapidly.

~"Wh-wh-what just happened?" I asked confused.

~"Rachel Raven Rooth!" Starfire yelled angrily. "Don't you dare frighten me as such ever again!"

~"I'm sorry, Star. I had a vision..." I trailed off from there.

~"You have had many visions before and no vision ever produced such a reaction!" She said indignantly but softened. "What was the vision of, dear friend?" She helped me off the floor and held my arm.

~"I-I don't wanna talk about it..." I recalled the image of Beast Boy in the med ward and Hurt stabbed my heart. I walked out of the elevator and floated to the door outside.

~"I am here in case you want to have the girl talk," She smiled hopefully. "I would greatly appreciate it if you would join Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and me with the Palace of Pizza this evening... If you want that is..."

~I smiled and nodded as I opened the door, closed my eyes, and let the mild April breeze clear my mind. My mini-meditation was interrupted by the laughter of puerile boys. My eyes snapped open and followed three big five-year-olds running and jumping around to dodge the "Stank Ball" and nearly laughed out loud but got by with a snort and smirk. Starfire shot over into the battlefield, eyes sparkling brightly.

~"Hey, babe," Robin caught Starfire in the air and planted a amorous kiss on her lips. He looked up into her eyes and smiled again.

~"Hello, dear," She beamed unabashed by her boyfriend's sensual kiss. "Hello, friends Cyborg and Beast Boy!" She exclaimed still in Rob's arms. "I am proud of myself. I have found the sleeper as instructed!"

~I reluctantly walked forward at an unhurried pace when my emotions urged drove me to want to sprint over to Beast Boy and simply jump him in front of everyone. I waved, mind still in my own little world. The boys all dropped what they were doing when they saw my unusual apparel, and a new emotion pranced joyfully in my mind with her arms linked with Happy and Brave. Then, they halted as I caught a glimpse of a green flash and a gangly, well toned teen absconded the other three and advanced confidently. I quickened my pace and approached the sixteen year old with flawless green eyes, green hair, green skin... We met somewhere in the middle and just searched each other's eyes. It was another moment that seemed endless but was rudely interrupted.

~"Raven..." Robin began. I tore my eyes away from the changeling's and glanced at Robin.

~"Yes?"

~"Is everything-"

~I cut him off. "You don't have to say anything, Rob. I'm fine, really, and I swear, whatever challenge comes, I'm up to it," They all knew I hadn't been sleeping all that much lately and were just concerned.

~Cy came over and rested his large, mechanical hand on my shoulder as softly as possible sending a chill down my spine from the cold, and Robin wrapped his ever-gloved hand around my elbow. Star just looked at me reassuringly as if to say, _I really didn't tell them anything_. Beast Boy stood outside the triangle of bolstering comments, looks, and touches sighing and kicking the dirt like an angry small child, which made me want to grin. They unhanded me after a moment longer and Beast Boy had had enough. He sulked , ears drooping and trudged back to the house. My heart jolted and I broke from the triangle of my friends and raced to be with my love.

~I walked up behind him then walked beside him quietly. "Why aren't you with them? They're worried about you."

~I glanced over my shoulder to see three confused teens gawking at Beast Boy and me. "'Stank Ball' isn't my thing..." My stomach squeezed and flopped when he looked at me skeptically.

~"Hmmm..." He muttered.

~"Seriously... And I just wanted to..." I withheld the rest of the sentence,_ to be with you because I like it_.

~A smile graced his lips. "Sorry, Rae, I'm just so confused right now..." He shook his head.

~"It's about Terra, isn't it?" I recalled the minor relapse of depression he had when a girl named Tara who had an uncanny similarity to my arch-enemy appeared. He nodded slowly as we walked into the Tower.

~His face turned angry and he hit the concrete wall causing a chunk to go flying. "And being around you doesn't clear things up _at all_," he gave a feral growl and I gasped audibly in pain. "And for that reason is the only reason I hate you for who you are. You remind me of her."

~That one statement stabbed through my heart like a knife sending me staggering back towards a wall, and tears welled in my eyes. All my emotions sank into the depths of my mind and were replaced by Pain, Hurt, and Anger. Control slipped from my grasp and I fled.


	6. A Scare and Reassurance

**Thank you all for the reviews! Keep 'em comin'! Constructive criticism is always welcome! If you think something needs a little extra I'd be happy to consider it! Amani na upendo na msaada wangu wote! There's going to be a mix of short and long chapters so... And I'm sorry if any of you are confused... I'll try to clear it up in this chapter... Well... Here you go!  
**

A Scare and Reassurance

Chapter 5

I frantically groped the wall trying to escape before I cried in public. I touched the wall with the palms of my hands and sank back into the wall with a dense feeling constricting my ribs, but this feeling wasn't the result of teleportation through a concrete wall. This feeling was the result of Beast Boy's statement. The last thing I saw was the blurred, apologetic, yearning face of a boy who said something he really shouldn't have.

~"Rae! NO! I didn't mean it like th..."

~His words were cut off as i sank into the wall. I could have easily teleported to my room but didn't because I forgot. I ambled through wall after wall, ceiling after ceiling until Rage threatened to escape. I now sprinted blindly through room after room until I unobservantly crashed into the stairwell wall and toppled down twenty-three stairs to my corridor. I sprang up and psychokinetically opened my door. I blindly crashed over my desk, tripped on a misplaced book, and crash landed on my circular bed. Sighing, I curled into a fetal position and bawled. Pain rushed through me like a torrent, Anger flooded my mind, and Hurt simply curled up with me internally and cried. _And being around you doesn't help at all..._ I shivered releasing another round of sobs. _You remind me of her..._ I grew angry and suppressed my hate and wrath. Terra was my worst enemy. Once my father was gone, my next target was Terra or her look alike. I had killed before and I didn't mind settling a debt. I stayed eclipsed in my own thoughts and vaguely noticed the rolling clouds turning a pale purple. I stayed in my vulnerable position and felt so weak, so pointless, so useless... I lay there for an indefinite amount of time and quietly cried.

~_How do I remind him of that witch?_ I thought angrily.

~_There must be a logical explanation for this..._ Knowledge and Logic stated in unison both praying they were right.

~Quite frankly, I was scared. There were muffled footsteps outside my door, a timid knock, and an argument ensued. A chiming, feminine voice begged the three masculine ones to "stop this arguing of sorts" and some obscene sounding Tamaran words flew as she was denied her request, but she insisted and finally yelled "STOP THE ARGUING BEFORE I MAKE YOU!"

~All was quiet a moment, and I smiled internally because I could just picture Star towering over Robin and Beast Boy and scowling at Cy, her green eyes burning. A deep, masculine voice muttered, "I'm sorry, Star..."

~Its owner slowly registered in my numb brain-Robin. He spoke to me through the door. "Raven... Can we come in?"

~"No," I answered shortly sitting bolt upright. My heart fluttered when I heard Beast Boy's muffled voice. "Rob... only you can come in."

~Another argument waged war on my throbbing ears until Cyborg broke up the argument and a sliver of light pierced my otherwise dark room. A small smirk escaped as I saw Cyborg holding Gar in his arms refusing to let go. The image vanished as Robin walked in and then was shut out with the closing of my door.

~He stood awkwardly for a moment looking around my room. "You've certainly got quite a taste for the decor, Raven."

~"Sure," I felt numb, like I was frozen or just stiff, but my emotions were just as frozen as I.

~He nodded curtly and cautiously approached me like someone would a venomous and pissed off snake. I said nothing as I floated cross legged, face blank. He thought I appeared harmless and perched on the foot of my bed propping his elbows on his thighs. Slouched over and never looking at me he sighed, he looked like such an innocent child and spoke softly- something I've never heard. He was always so paranoid and authoritative, so when he spoke softly, it melted my aching heart.

~"Rachel, do you trust me?" He shook his head again.

~"Dick Grayson, i swear... you've helped me through a lot... The true question remains - do you trust me?" I smirked slightly feeling a pang of guilt and anger.

~I saw his face lift in a small smile. "That's what you said when you went into my mind when i was obsessed with Slade the first time."

~"Exactly," I sighed and levitated closer to him. I mimicked his slouch and held my head in my right hand, elbow stabbing my delicate thigh.

~He looked directly in my eyes I thought (who ever knew because he always wore that damn mask) and smiled. 'I trust you more than you could ever understand, Rachel." He removed my hood from my face. My heart sputtered in confusion as his gloved hand brushed my face slightly.

~I heard a groan outside my door that could have only belonged to Beast Boy, and my heart thudded spasming uncharacteristically. I tried to take my mind off his groans of despair by making conversation with Rob, "Um... Yeah... What were you guys arguing about?" I felt odd being alone with Robin... in my room... on my bed... in the dark... He sighed and shook his head, gelled spikes of his hair never moving.

~"You don't want to know."

~I didn't pry any further and we sat in a comfortable silence until Rob spoke again. "I'm sorry he did that to you," he sighed. "He didn't mean it like it sounded. He kicked himself because he meant that he loathed Terra and was determined to kill her and being around you reminded him of his undying hate."

~"Touchy subject," I warned feeling Anger, Wrath, and Revenge bubbling and rising quickly.

~"Speaking of emotions, I noticed Obsessive Compulsive did some work of her own.." He trailed off in a chuckle.

~"Huh?" I was utterly confused and my curiosity overwhelmed my other emotions in a flash.

~"You practically trashed every room that was clean and cleaned the messiest room in the house..." He snorted. "You accidentally cleaned BB's room. It's spotless and even smells like you."

~"Oh great..." I sighed. "Whatever makes you all laugh is worth it I suppose." My tone was bitter, flat, and dark.

~He turned to me with that I'm-so-paranoid-and-bursting-with-concern-for-your-well-being-that-i-can't-control-it look. "He's just tongue tied... He gets nervous around you and screws up what he says."

~"You got that right," was my only reply. Then, my emotions broke down the barrier flooding me and causing a light to blow. "I'm just so confused, Robin. I feel more and more angry about Terra than I ever did Malchoir. I could kill her for what she's done to Garfield! I hate her with so much passion that it can't be contained," a book flew off my dresser and narrowly missed Robin's face but he took no notice of exploding lights and flying books. He straightened and gently cupped my face in his huge hands.

~"Raven... Hush... She's gone..." he cooed. My heart sputtered and squeezed while my brain said, _Fight or Flight_. "Raven, she's dead to us. She's dead to him. You are what's alive to him."

~"Raven..." he sighed again almost seductively dropping his left hand and tilting up my chin with his right. "He really is sorry... He has moved onto a better choice in my opinion. Trust me. He confides in me."

~I was frozen wide eyed and petrified at his touch, which I knew was only reserved for Starfire. I finally broke, "You don't scare me."

~"I know," he smiled gingerly. "I'm scared for him," Robin smiled slightly again and dropped all points of contact to my relief. "That's why we argued. I was afraid for his and your safety, so I really demanded that I go in because this isn't Cyborg's fight, and I doubted you would take Starfire's company willingly." He blushed at the mention of Star's name, showing that all contact was a bluff. "Besides, I'm the only Titan that hasn't been in your brain or in your circumstances. You've been in my head and know the damage of being a leader, but you're still a mystery to me, he chuckled nervously, "Don't take that the wrong way, please."

~I remained silent a moment and asked with a shaky voice, "Did Gar want to come in?"

~"He wanted to really, really bad... but as you can tell, I wouldn't let him."

~I just grunted in a reply. Happy filled me to the brim, and I uncomfortably shifted my hair to make a curtain as I wiped my eyes.

~"Let's go... The other Titans are worried sick," His authority crept back in his voice and denial of the command remained futile.

~"They're only worried about you..." I replied fighting back a bitter edge in my voice; then, my stomach groaned loudly.

~"And I'm worried about your lack of food," he replied quickly. "I can't have a starving Titan on my hands."

~With that, we left my room quietly and startled the other three who were trying to listen in. They all snatched back-Starfire blushing, hands behind her back, Cy whistling tunelessly, and BB running off down the corridor. A small smile curled my lips and I shot forward and appeared right in front of him. "Beat ya to the kitchen, " he threatened.

~"You're on," I challenged. The changeling's form blurred into a six foot bird with a seven foot wing span-pterodactyl. The small shock of a five foot three stunned me momentarily; then he shot off without warning. "NO FAIR!" I yelled playfully. Explicit power rippled through me and the fabric of space and time bent around me. The vision of the hall blurred and my focus of the kitchen grew stronger. Teleportation was the most exhilarating experience I'd ever encountered... so far... My mental picture of the kitchen materialized in five seconds flat.

~I leaned casually on the rectangular island, and no more than twenty long seconds later, masculine teenage laughter filled the air as Beast Boy dashed in, eyes closed.

~"Watch the stairs..." I smirked.

~His eyes snapped open, laughter cut off, and tripped over the stairs. "Damnitttt!" he yelled.

~Brave shot through me and my hand involuntarily flew out. The cold, electric sensation pulsed through my fingertips. A black mass enveloped his torso and set him upright at the bottom of the measily seven stairs.

~"How did- Where did- Why did-?...... Thanks," he rubbed his neck nervously. "I was a jerk and you saved me from some serious carpet burn... I'm in your debt for life..." he said sarcastically.

~The corners of my mouth upturned graciously. He sighed and approached me; without a word he removed a small strand of my violet hair from the corner of my mouth. He twirled the lock between his fingers before putting it back in place. "I love it when you smile... I love it when you teleport, too."

~"Why?" I asked and cocked an eyebrow.

~"It leaves your hair all messed up and stuff... It's kinda... cute..." I blushed madly as he smoothed my locks back and traced my jaw, which caused my mouth to water.

~"What's up with everyone touching me today? Is it some National Everyone Touch Raven Day?" _ Not that I mind you touching me..._ I thought subconsciously.

~Gar chuckled and replied, "I thought the world could use a day like that since every day is National Beast Boy Day!"

~"And we all know there's hell to pay..." I finished laughing.

~He stuck his tongue out childishly with a sparkling grin. "I don't need your sarcasm..." He walked over to the coffee maker, poured something in a cup, and handed it to me faux-pouting.

~I held the cup to my face and breathed in, to my shock, the scent of herbal tea. I said nothing of it and continued, "I know _you_ don't need anymore sarcasm... You have enough for the whole _Tower_... forget that... All of **_Jump City_**."

~He smiled coyly. "Gotta love your sense of humor."

~"You know it," with that I sipped my tea quietly, and he walked closer to me and reached out to tilt my chin up. He brushed the bottom of my chin and curled his hand around my chin and pulled me closer.

~"You know I say things I don't mean, right?" He whispered.

~I nodded quietly.


	7. Pizza and Distressed Citizens

**Hey there... I'd like to thank all of you who are following this story and apologize if the beginning is a little slow. This chapter may be a little difficult to follow, but trust me... The apex of the story is approaching rapidly... :) Enjoy!**

Pizza and Distressed Citizens

Chapter 6

~The laughter of the other three interrupted the peaceful moment between Gar and I. Starfire was the first to burst through the doors laughing and darted over to embrace me. Beast Boy snickered as Star nearly crushed me.

~"Friend Raven, you are ok! I was worried about you when you left us!" She continued to strangle me.

~"Star... You're hugging me... I don't like to be hugged..." I continued to warn her until Rage escaped and a blender exploded. My vision was temporarily veiled by a red mist and returned to normal.

~BB snickered at my failure to break free from Starfire's unrelenting embrace. She suddenly dropped me with no warning, causing me to nearly miss catching myself from falling face first on the kitchen tile. I brushed my white leotard off as if to brush off my embarrassment and blush that slowly crept into my cheeks. The blush went unnoticed, was ignored, or no one thought to embarrass me further by pointing it out. The setting sun cast an orange glow to everyone's face and illuminated Gar's greatly. He smiled that crooked smirk that I simply adored which uplifted his whole face and made my stomach clench with an unfamiliar emotion. I donned my hood in an effort to shield my flushed face, but all went unnoticed as my half metal brother's stomach growled loudly, which educed laughter from all, including me.

~Starfire's flute-like chirping, Robin's throaty chuckle, Cyborg's booming guffaw, BB's lighthearted, throaty giggle, and my sharp, unused laughter filled the Common Room for a few seconds.

~"Dude! Let's go grab something to eat!" He nudged my arm with his elbow. "Then, let's grab a movie on the way back!"

~Discomfort welled up in me again because I knew which movie he really wanted to see. The last time I watched Wicked Scary 2 wasn't as bad as the first time I watched Wicked Scary; the second time Cy had a fun time a few light bulbs and the blender. The first time was a scary experience for everyone... I shuddered at the thought. Lately, however, Beast Boy had been watching TV and gazed at the commercials for WS3 with a lusty eye. He actually feared me. The second time he got the bright idea to rent a Wicked Scary movie, I obliterated every ounce of food he dared to put in his mouth for a week. It got to the point where he would sneak around me (which hurt my feelings a little) so he would eat. He continued this until I caught him one day and he panicked. I remembered looking into his emerald orbs and him wincing; when nothing exploded, he sheepishly smiled at me and the whole ordeal ended in several bouts of laughter and an exploded clock.

~He seemed to sense my discomfort and added, "I say Rae gets to pick..." He blushed slightly and threw me a look. I seethed.

~"Uh... I dunno... Wicked Scary 3 came out this past Tuesday..." I blushed very visibly now. _Why was I doing this for him??_

~Everyone's jaw practically unhinged at my proposition. "Uh, Rae... I hate to bring you down but.... I don't feel like replacing a hundred lights and the fridge."

~"Yeah, I'm good..." Robin agreed with Cyborg. "Unless you really mean it, Raven." He suspiciously at Beast Boy and back at me.

"I wish to see whatever Friend Raven would like to view, no matter how gory or violent it may be!" Now I had three votes. Robin agreed with Star, naturally, and BB grinned in approval, but Cyborg caved with a grimace.

~Gar stood slumped over, mouth agape. I glanced at him with a devious smile and placed a hand on his shoulder. He straightened at my slightest touch. My face warmed greatly and my adopted family looked expectantly at Beast Boy.

~"Raven..." he sighed nearly affectionately. "You don't have to... Movie... Me?" I nodded slowly...

~"What's the harm?" I asked weakly and the mouths of all my adopted family dropped. A pregnant silence followed, interrupted by BB's "Woo!" and his victory dance.

~"BREAK OUT THE HOLORINGS!!" He exclaimed joyfully, voice cracking in the middle of "rings."

~We all shared one more laugh before Cy, Rob, and Star darted off to their rooms to get ready to go. I began walking off with a particular spring in my step and was snatched back gently by Beast Boy. He looked down at me and pressed his body against mine which was pressed against the wall. "Beast Boy..." I sighed involuntarily. His warm body slid against mine and his sweet breath seduced me successfully.

~"Nakupenda mpenzi mangu kunguru..." He sighed back. He left me utterly confused, but leaned in and slowly closed his eyes. I panicked as his lips were centimeters from my own.

~I phased through the wall blind panic and rose into my room through the floor. My iPod dock played softly as I rummaged through drawer after drawer searching for my holoring, but the music froze me.

_~I'm so tired of being here,_  
_ ~Suppressed by all my childish fears._  
_ ~And if you have to leave,_  
_ ~I wish that you would just leave._  
_ ~Because your presence still lingers here,_  
_ ~And it wont leave me alone..._

_ ~These wounds won't seem to heal,_  
_ ~This pain is just too real._  
_ ~There's just too much that time cannot erase..._

_ ~When you'd cried I'd, wipe away all of your tears,_  
_ ~When you'd scream I'd, fight away all of your fears._  
_ ~And I've held your hand through all of these years,_  
_ ~But you still have all of me._

_ ~You used to captivate me,_  
_ ~By your resonating light._  
_ ~Now I'm bound by the life you left behind._  
_ ~Your face it haunts, my once pleasant dreams._  
_ ~Your voice it chased away, all the sanity in me._

_ ~These wounds won't seem to heal..._  
_ ~This pain is just too real,_  
_ ~There's just too much that time cannot erase._

_ ~When you'd cried I'd, wipe away all of your tears,_  
_ ~When you'd scream I'd, fight away all of your fears._  
_ ~And I've held your hand through all of these years,_  
_ ~But you still have all of me._

_ ~I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone,_  
_ ~But though you're still with me..._  
_ ~I've been alone all along._

_ ~When you'd cried I'd, wipe away all of your tears,_  
_ ~When you'd scream I'd, fight away all of your fears._  
_ ~And I've held your hand through all of these years,_  
_ ~But you still have all of me._

~I stopped immediately and a single tear rolled down my face. That one song stirred my emotions so strongly that it forced a tear to spring from my eye. I shivered and tuned out the next song until I found my silver and black holoring. Slipping the serpent like ring on my middle finger, my appearance shifted to where I stared at pale white hands which brushed back silky black bangs out of my eyes. I glanced at my mirror, and, as usual, was taken aback by the put on beauty of creamy skin, big violet orbs framed with long curly lashes and eyebrow length bangs, elbow length, shiny black hair, and of course basic black tee with D34's never hurt anyone...

~I turned off my radio and heard an eager knocking outside my door. "Yeah?" I opened my door telepathically and Beast Boy's holoform stumbled in laughing heartily.

~"C'mon, Rae!" he grabbed my hand and felt a strange shock. I held his hand eagerly letting the shock turn into a flowing burn while gazing into his hazel eyes. His rough hand flet comforting as was his masculinity. Attraction to his toned body and curly chocolate hair overwhelmed me as did his perfect square tooeh and enticing smile that spread over his face. I giggled at his shocked expression when he took in my holoform.

~"You like?" I raised an eyebrow. His mouth gaped and he drooled in response. I giggled happily, and... nothing exploded!

~"The others left except Cy who's gonna drive us"

~"Sounds good!" I giggled again.

~He smiled and pulled me along. _**What the hell are you doing?**_ demanded Happy and Affection.

~_Doing what I always do... why?_

_~Because you need to tell him how you feelllll!!!!_

~_Uh, no._

~"What were you telling your emotions?" I looked at him in shock. He'd developed an uncanny hunch for when I was consulting my emotions.

~I decided to be honest. "I was basically telling them to shut up before I said something stupid."

~"Oh..." was his only response as we walked out of the Tower. "Anyways, you look_ stunning._.. Mpenzi wangu nzuri..." He brushed my cheek with his bare hand causing me to blush heavily. "Beautiful..." he sighed.

~"What's up with all the Swahili lately?" I smiled slightly... "And what brought all this on?"

~"Ah... well..." he paused blushing heavily. "You... uh... mean a lot to me, Rae..."

Butterflies rumbled in my stomach and I asked, "Where's all this coming from?"

~"You aren't the only one controlling emotions here..." he grinned impishly, and a wonderful thrill coursed through me, putting all our differences and irritations behind. It was suddenly so clear. One day I was annoyed at him constantly then the next I was in love with him... Oh the irony.

~"What do you mean by that?" I asked impishly.

~"Oh, Rae, don't make me explain this on an empty stomach!" he acted as if he were going to faint, which made us both chuckle.

~As if on cue, Cy ran up to us "C'mon, guys! I'm starvin'!"

~We laughed more and followed him through the tool strewn garage and clambered into the T-car. BB and I took the back seats eagerly, leaving Cy to listen to his music freely. We rolled the dividing window up (which was much like that of a limo except it was soundproof and tinted.)

~Cy took the wheel, cranked up the car, and spun violently out of the garage, smiling in the rear view mirror only to laugh as he saw me slung into Gar's lap with a scowl on my face. I sulked but made no effort to move from my comfortable position laying across Gar's masculine chest and spandex/polyester, black Three Days Grace shirt. I blushed heavily and looked up at the probing hazel eyes gazing back into mine.

~"Hi..." I said nervously.

~He smiled, "Hi..." he stroked my hair gently which stirred many questions but I kept them suppressed as I enjoyed the quiet... until, of course, it was broken by Gar.

~"I've been thinking... wanna go to the pier tonight?"

~"Like a date??" I asked my heart thudding rapidly.

~"Woah... don't have a heart attack on me...." He placed his hand over my spasmodic heart, calming it instantly.

~"What brought on all this affection?" I probed further.

~"I've decided something, Upendo," He smiled at his own joke.

~Just then, we were slung across the car. Cy's driving became more erotic and we saw a wide rin appear on his charcole face. Slinging us again across the car, he screached to a halt and jumped out of the car rushing to a beautiful black girl and embracing her as she clambered off her black and yellow striped crotch rocket. BB looked at me shyly as the last sing of Cyborg ended up me landing on Beast Boy's chest. I scrambled off of him blushing as he opened the door for me.

~"Yo, Cy!" BB interrupted a kiss between the two. "Move over! It's not every day we get to see a member of Titans East!" He ran over and hugged him.

~I walked over to Bee, "Hey, Karen..."

~She looked at me and grinned even wider. "Rachel! Doll, I haven't seen you in forever!!"

~"So it would seem," I smiled warmly at her and I looked down at her left hand... Next to the finger that held a holoring there rested a fine diamond on a gold band. "Karen???" My voice rose several octaves. "YOU'RE ENGAGED?!?"

~Rob and Star pulled up in the R-cycle seconds after my outburst. I was filled with jealousy and envy, but compassion reigned.

~"BEE!" squealed Star who swooshed over and kissed her hand and noticed the same thing I did.

~Cy and Bee blushed violently. "How long has this been going on?" asked Robin in congratulations.

~"A while, hun..." Karen said shyly... "But how's about some pizza!"

~We all nodded in agreement, and Karen laughed her wind chime laugh and a blush crept over her chocolate skin. Her eyes twinkled with utter affection. "Yeah... Victor did quite some planning for this meeting..." her smooth, silky voice was so inviting and her large, pouty lips parted in a wonderful smile filled with sparkly teeth. Despite her hospitality, I always envied the girl's beauty.

~Gar, taking notice of my envious stare, touched the back of my arm and trailed down to my palm. This action stunned me but filled me with the "warm fuzzies" of sorts. It was so odd to feel suck a queer emotion. Where his skin brushed against mine was warm and tingly like your arm is after it wakes up. It shocked at first then felt like a current flowed though us until he gave up and cautiously intertwined his fingers with mine.

~The sky darkened and was nearly night. "C'mon. Let's go," he whispered in my hair. "If we wait too long, I won't be able to exicute my plans," the way he spoke was nearly seductive. He pulled ahead and the others followed us into the Pizza Palace. An unfamiliar waitress who had obviously seen a few years in her life smiled sweetly.

~When she smiled, creases formed around her eyes. "How may I help y'all?" She obviously was_ not_ local.

~"Uh..." started BB. "Gary and Linda out of town?"

~Her face fell and her eyes grew dark. "Something came up and they asked my husband and I to run the place for a while." I saw Robin straighten in my peripheral vision... I felt my heart sink as I knew that Gar's plans for tonight were done for.

~"Their son joined a gang and so did my daughter and they took it worse than us..." she trailed off and seated us.

~I thought long and hard a moment. and pulled Gar up with me. "Mrs. Lateheart, may we speak with you in private?"

~Her eyes widened as I said her unknown last name. "You six aren't your average teens, are you?"

~I simply shook my head._ If you only knew..._

~"You don't need to be afraid of us, ma'am." I nudged Gar to make him shut up.

~She motioned for us to follow her into the kitchen where she proceeded to cry.

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NOTICE: I don't own Teen Titans (again) and I don't own Three Days Grace :( or Evanescence's My Immortal :(


	8. The HIVE and The Worst Way to End a Date

**Thanks again for all the reviews, and I really am sorry about the confusion... But, on the bright yet dim side, I hope this chapter finally clears everything up. Keep reading and reviewing! I'm sorry but there will be other languages like Swahili and Malay and German... I could only get my point across in different languages...Thanks! Well... Here you go!**

The H.I.V.E and The Worst End to an Almost Date

Chapter 7

~I panicked slightly as Mrs. Lateheart collapsed in a nearby chair as we reached the kitchen. Compassion and Sympathy ruled me momentarily as she began to sob, head in her hands. I glanced at Beast Boy in an effort to get him to do something. He just stood and stared. She continued to shake her head, making her carrot red curls bounce. "They're gone..." she moaned quietly.

~Brave built up over Fear. "We _will_ help at all costs, but first you have to tell us what's going on with these two kids."

~She shook with fear and sobbed some more. "Th-th-they..." she shivered beginning to control her sobs. "They've always b-b-been g-g-good kids, y-y-ya know? S-s-straight A students-s, vo-volunteers..."

~We nodded and I felt a mother like compulsion to hold the poor woman. "Then one d-d-day they said they were walking and m-m-met four peop-ple..." she trailed off in whimpers and I resisted my urge to help her. She suddenly wailed and shocked me so bad that a plate exploded into tiny bits. I apologized profusely, but with every apology, she sobbed harder.

~"M-m-my d-d-daughter..." she whimpered through sobs. "She done did the same as Brandt... Went off and joined this gang thing..."

~We nodded simultaneously, conveying our sympathy. Gar sensed my discomfort and slid his hand into mine.

~"Th-they met some strange p-people on the street one day and told us how odd they were and that they didn't remember much else. The next day, they just started acting plain out weird! Going off and telling us how awful we were as parents," She looked up at me with a tear streaked face. "Em-Emma isn't like that and neither is Brandt..." she shuddered and continued her tale. "Gary and Linda took it rough, but Lawrence and I insisted it was just a phase... but things just kept escalating... Both started lifting heay wieght and bad things started happening when they were around... Then they got tattoos of a strange symbol with one side of a mask showing. Then Emma started doing some witchcraft shit."

~I smirked coldly and turned to Beast Boy. "Looks like the H.I.V.E. is looking to replace Jinx."

~He nodded and was interrupted by a shreak that was half hopeful and half appalled. "You know these people???" Ruth shouted.

~"We fight them from time to time," Gar dismissed. "And it looks like they're with Slade again..."

~I nodded vehemently. "We'll help you Mrs. Lateheart. We swear. All six of us will find Brandt and Emma..."

* * *

**DUM DA DUM DUM DUMMM!**

_(sorry randomness for a scene change)_

**

* * *

**

~She thanked us dozens of times and led us out of the kitchen with her head held a little higher. Lawrence walked out of the kitchen grimly holding three pizzas and merely grunted as we thanked him. All my emotions were on the fritz, but Rude overruled them all by demanding food immediately. I dove into my half pizza I shared with Garfield who was unashamedly snuggled up next to me and had thrown his arm around me.

~I lazily mulled over the couples- Karen and Victor, Dick and Kori, and possibly (Happy made my cheeks hot as I thought this) Garfield and I. I giggled to myself and smiled at "my other half." The arm around me shifted to where he twirled my hair blissfully. I gazed into his deep hazel eyes and blushed as another thought crept into my mind. _What would our kids look like? _I mentally slapped myself and gazed up at him, catching him looking at me curiously. Mouth full of pizza, I held his gaze with an uplifted eyebrow. He just smiled and winked, which sent shivers down my spine and thrilled me as his warm skin touched mine. However, our moment was interrupted by Ruth addressing the rest of the team (mostly Robin) and gave them the deal. I tuned her out and honed my other senses. My skin prickled at the slightest phantom touch placed on my skin, I breathed in his musky smell that resembled moss and dirt, and I faintly felt his heartbeat on the side of my rib cage as I reached for an undevoured piece of pizza. I was in Xanadu.

~My happiness soon faded as we left the diner, and the Boy Wonder tood over again. "Vic, Karen, I need you two to walk downtown; remember, look out for any suspicious activity. Star and I will take uptown and the central area."

~I flashed a confused look at Rob who was skeptical. "Beast Boy, Raven, beach and pier," he hissed through clenched teeth. "And Garfield, no suprises that could make you end up in the morgue."

~My eyebrow raised involunratily. _Take it slow, Raven,_ warned Wisdom. _We cannot take a suprise that would unleash unnecessary emotions like Lust over here. She's practically drooling over him right now._

_~I feel that for certain,_ I grunted back to her.

~"Let's go, Rae..." Gar grabbed my hand and slipped off his holoring, and I mimicked his action. He transformed into his almighty pterodactyl in a flash and bowed to me. He faintly touched his mind to my own (something he could only master in his animal form) and invited me to climb aboard. I swung deftly on his neck and settled in the crook between his shoulder blades.

~"Bye guys! Don't have too much fun without us!" I vocalized for Gar; then he filled my head with porno images of Star and Robin and Cy and Bee. I yelped in disgust. "Gross!" I shouted slapping Gar on the back of the head. "Ok... don't have **any** _'fun'_of any type ok?!"

~They all blushed heavily, and Lust, Happy, and Brave all shared a laugh together as we took off into the mild night sky. I stroked his neck softly and breathed in the sharp ocean air.

~_Raven.... _Gar sighed, compassion and something else dripped off my name.

~_Yes?_ I replied dreamily, gazing at the little pinholes of light in the night sky.

~_Can I talk to you?_ His internal voice seemed worried.

~_That's why I'm... _It suddenly felt like a wall hit me and all the wind was knocked out of me. I gasped aloud and began shaking as images flooded my brain and flashed rapidly. They were the ones that I had seen this morning but with more clarity. The last image that flickered in my mind was Gar falling to the ground nearly dead.

~_Raven!!! _Gar shouted internally.

~_No... I... It was just a vision... _I replied groggily.

~_I saw it, Raven. _His voice was heavy... _Looks like it doesn't matter what movie we watch tonight I guess... Doesn't matter what I had planned anyway..._

_~Yes, it does Garfield and I'll... Wait..._ I projected my thoughts into his mind and saw six figures walking thirty feet below us. With his vision, I knew immediately which ones were Brandt and Emma.

~_Let's use our human form... uh... sorry..._ I apologized as he flinched at the word 'human.' _Um.... let's use our holoform to communicate with them._

He nodded his massive head. _They might take it easier and trust us more...._ He seemed to think a moment. _Or they'll try to kill us..._

_~True.... But I'd rather die with you...._ I projected into his mind and he banked sharply to the left in surprise and wind whipped sharply around my face as he was lost for words at my sudden revelation. He suddenly morphed back into his green teen form and slipped in his ring. I did likewise.

~I had gotten so used to riding on Gar's back that I didn't realize I still had my legs wrapped around him. He looked up at me with a devilish grin and held onto my denim covered legs.

~"I'm the one that should be on your back," He sighed impishly.

~Lust overwhelmed me momentarily. "Let's go get the H.I.V.E. first," pressed my cheek against his and seductively whispered, "You'd be surprised what I allow when my emotions are under control."

~"Um... um... HIVE get let's first..." he stumbled with his words flushing brilliantly.

~I chuckled slightly at his moment and started off towards the six teens with unadulterated confidence (except I was scared shit less.) As soon as we approached I sensed malcontent towards us.

~"Spielzeug!" A stocky, musclued, tattooed blond spat confirming my hunch. I instantly noted the German which meant 'toy' or 'plaything.'

~Knowledge scrambled to fine her German vocabulary and mustered, "Ruhe, ruhe..." _Peace, peace._

~He looked at me oddly then at BB whose back I had jumped off of and stood protectively in front.

~My brain cramped and I finally asked, "Sprechen sie Englisch?" _Do you speak English?_

~He shook his head sadly, "Wie viel Deutsch sprechen sie?" _How much German do you speak?_

~"Nicht viel..." I sighed defeated, glancing at Gar who looked as equally confused as the other five.

~Brandon pleaded with his ruby eyes, "Sie taten dies furuns. Helfen Sie uns!" _They did this to us. Help us!_

~I turned to the girl and was taken aback at her animalistic stare at BB who whispered, "What did he say?"

~Gizmo and Mammoth had had enough deplomacy and reared back to attack us both when we heard Brandt's voice double in an Alpha tone. "Nicht!" All four original members fell to their knees with a groan. His double voice continued. "Kien schaden wird auf diese beiden kommen!" _No harm shall come to these two._ I gasped as I realized that Brandt and Emma were the now leaders of the pack of idiots. He looked back at me, "Haben sie Keine Angst." _Do not fear._ He turned to the other four and yelled, "Ich bin euer Fuhrer! Sie alle werden zu gehor chen!" _I am your leader. You all will obey!_

~"We will help you, Brandt, but you must follow us, understood?" I spoke slowly and he nodded.

~I sighed, "Ok, Gar, here's the deal.... They've been inducted into the HIVE, and they're the Alphas. Brandt speaks German and Emma doesn't speak. They can't leave the HIVE, or, as far as I've gathered, they'll die unless we can extract the DNA of a former member and seperate it from their human DNA.... Gar... I'm the only one who can save them..."

~The words were stones in my heart, knowing that I could fail and kill them both. He held my hand weakly and his eyes began to space out like in my vision. I sensed Emma's volitility and prayed she'd hold through just a little longer. As if on cue, she screamed a blood curlding scream and threw herself on the ground spasaming violently. I spun around, heart jumping into my throat as I saw a blinding red light envelop her and she began to transform into a Beast.

~Mammoth, still on the ground from Brandt's command, grinned and hissed, "It is almost complete."


	9. Confessions

**Ok... I know... I know... Nothing is making sense to some people... Sorry! Working on that... Exams have been awful this year... I'm now back to writing (:**

Confessions

Chapter 8

~I remained frozen and horrified. Darkness had settled on Jump City, and, of course, we remained alone with no help. No Rob, no Star, no Cy... We were going to die.

~Emma continued to transform into a wolf-like creature but soon did not resemble Gar's Beast at all... She was sandy gold and had red streaks around her snout. I wheeled as she landed and stalked towards me, eyeing me up and down. _So, goth girl, come on and fight me. Hmmm... Or... I could just take the scrawny one... He'd be absolutely deliciousss..._

Rage built uncontrolably in my mind and forced me to crouch in a protective stance between the pseudo-beast and my changeling. "Stay away from him. He's mine."

~I suddenly felt animalistic and bitter darkness flowed through my voice like venom. That all familiar coldness surrounded my hands and pulsated with blind fury. _Noone is going to hurt my own..._ My train of thought was broken as Emma unleashed a feral growl and lunged at Gar's throat; however, pure instinct took hold and threw my own obsidean energy at her, but i narrowly made my mark. All my energy was thrown into a protective shield around Gar until he regained awareness of his impending doom. He quickly shook his head and appeared to be shaking a blank feeling from his eyes. I barely saw him out of the corner of my eye as he transformed into a T-rex and snapped my shield, which was becoming weaker.

~The cold air of the night cut through me and into my heart as I saw Gar charge the false Beast full speed as, of course, I was unable to watch because the other pricks needed to be taken care of... permenently... But, yet again, there were always complications.

~I spun around to glare at Brandt but was petrified as I saw a ghastly smile cross his face. "That's my girl, Emma. Go get 'em."

~The earth trembled and a horrible roar errupted;instantly, a howl of pain pierced the night. My head snapped around to see the recipient of the earth shaking blow; the next thing I remembered was a pool of dark, ruby blood flowing from two collapsed bodies.

~"GARFIELD!"

* * *

~_There was a swirling mass of pain, and all my emotions were absolutely torn to shreds... I felt so numb... So cold... I knelt down beside him and wailed. Trash cans exploded, street lights melted, cars were launched into the air. Energy pulsated from me in violent waves until there was nothing left... until I collapsed with him in my arms..._

* * *

~I gasped violently and clutched the light comforter over me. I looked around the room warily and acutely aware of the steady heart monitor beeping at a slightly faster rate than an average human's. My breathing was still jerky and uncontrolled even though I tried to recite my mantra but couldn't even get past the first two words before I shuddered and began my obsessive treatment over Gar I had done since the day he was injured. I rose from the couch Cy had brought to the medical ward so I would never have to leave Gar's side. I stood over him all day and most of the night simply watching him to see if he would ever come out of a traumatic coma or if he even twitched. At this point, eight full days, nine hours, twenty-seven minutes, and roughly thirty-seven seconds after the attack, I was plastered to his side. I remained a recluse for days and days on end while denying any help, companionship, food, and (oh Azar I nearly never heard the end of this one) tea.

~I towered over him day after day caring for him and tending to him such as changing his IV's and giving him any drugs or any ancient spells that could bring him out of his coma. I was swiftly becoming depressed... Noone in the tower even spoke to me other than Starfire who tried to comfort me through visiting me constantly... All the others never made eye contact with me anymore like they feared me. I tried to speak to Cyborg one day and he looked away and didn't speak back; he simply printed Gar's daily stats and handed them to me without a word. Robin always glared at me when he entered the med ward until he left with a quick nod. Star was different though. She tried to speak and occasionally rested her hand on my shoulder in reassurance.

~Blinded with forming tears, I placed my hand on Gar's bare chest and a single tear rolled from my eye. I heard the ward's door slide open and a delicate footfall approach.

~"Starfire," I acknowledged monotoniously.

~She sighed. "Raven, I am worried. You have not been your usual depressing self; you have been a new form of depressing. You mope constantly over our dear friend Beast Boy. Why is this? Do you have 'the feelings' for our friend?"

~I glanced up sheepishly. "Starfire... I have realized several things over the past nine days..." I sighed. "Some things are just too complicated to understand and others aren't. You see?" She nodded slowly and I continued. "Well, my feelings for Gar are the complicated things in my life... I feel utterly responsible for him..."

~"But our friend is capable of defending himself, no?"

~"That's not exactly what I mean, Star..." I began to feel frustrated.

~"Then please do, friend," She egged on.

~"I'm trying to..." I sulked back to the couch sighing in defeat. "It's just so complicated..."

~"Oh, friend Raven! Do you get 'the moths' in your one stomach when you are around him?" She beamed.

~I shot her a perplexed look. "Do you mean 'the butterflies?'"

~She cocked her head to the side with a furrowed brow. "These Earth ways are still so strange to me... Why would one eat butterflies OR moths?"

~I smiled faintly. "It is a figure of speech, Star..." She always knew my soft spot was her innocence. "But I suppose so... I have very complex feelings for him."

~I tore my eyes off of Gar for a painful moment to glance at my friend's face. Her face appeared both excited and aggrivated. "Yes, friend, you are a complicated person with complicated feelings, but do you love the Beast Boy or not?"

~I snatched back at her abruptness and noticed Gar seemed to convulse for a moment, and my hands flew to his chest instinctively. His smooth, toned chest was warm and comforting under my trembling hands. The heart monitor beeped spasmatically mimicking my own heart's rythm, and, for once, I looked at his face which seemed to be smiling faintly... My heart swelled in hope but was deflated at the prospect that I could be wrong and simply hopeful.

~My eyes darted back and forth between Star and Garfield to find out whether I was dreaming or not... Sadly enough, I could feel her confusion and concern but hardly any joy at all. _I have to be dreaming..._ I sighed inwardly, but my brooding was soon interrupted. "You never answered my question, friend Raven..."

~"Well, Starfire, yes. I'm in love with Garfield... completely and irrevocably... It kills me to see him in this condition... He's just so vulnerable and helpless... I just have this urge to hold him and confess my love for him... Isn't that melodramatic?" I sneered at my weakness.

~"Oh, Friend!" She exclaimed beaming with joy. "This is wonderful, Raven! On my planet, such a wonderous confession must be celebrated with copious amounts of the 'junk food!'"

~I looked away in shame. "Now is no time to be celebrating... I'm sorry..."

~She appeared apologetic immediately as if she had forgotten. Her disposition changed greatly of one that was carried as a joyful girl to a saddened child (although she was older than I.) She looked up at me from her seated position and stated, "Forgive me, friend..."

~"There's no crime to forgive..." I smiled at her softly, and I looked back down and gently grasped Logan's hand. _Starfire's a good friend to have in times like these._ Now another question stirred in my mind. "Why is everyone in the Tower avoiding me?" I asked never releasing Gar's hand.

~"Oh... Well..." It was unusual for her to pause so much and ignore a question. "Um... You may have done some damage the others are not proud of..."

~"Such as?" I demanded in my deadpan voice.

~She winced. "You have killed two members of the HIVE, my friend..." She glanced at me before continuing. "You terminated Kyd Wykkid and Mammoth with great precision..."

~My eyebrows raised involuntarily and I heard the heart monitor go crazy once more. "I did?" I asked slightly amused at my morbid curiosity.

~"Yes... Friend Cyborg told us that you may have not remember the incident... And I see that you truly do not..." She rose and drifted to the exit of the medical ward. "They are..." She beheld a look of intense concentration. "Idiots."

~I smiled at her yet again and replied, "Thank you, Star... If you wouldn't mind," I paused and she nodded. "Would you bring me some tea?"

~She beamed back at me and nodded vehemently. With that, she left me alone with Garfield.

~I leaned over to examine him, my hand still clasping his and felt a slight squeeze on my fingers followed by a soft sigh. I sensed smug satisfaction flowing from him, so I leaned over and whispered in his ear. "Yes, Garfield Mark Logan, I love you." Instantaneously, the heart monitor went berzerk. I lingered at his neck, drawing in his musky scent, and placed a passionate kiss on his neck, from which his pulse completely ceased for a long three seconds before spasmatically returning. _So you can hear me..._ I thought smugly. Still near his ear, I whispered, "Once Cy fixes you up, I'll give you a real kiss if that's what you want." His fingers closed around mine again and I straightened up from leaning over. Just then the med ward door sild open with cluncky, metallic footfalls. _Speak of the Devil and he shall come. _I thought in distain, but my feelings and emotions were soon turned.

~"My sensors picked up some irregular heartbeat in grass stain's monitors..." He explained avoiding eye contact.

~"You don't have to avoid me, Cy... I know what happened to the two members. It's OK, and I'm not mad..."

~He continued to ignore me. "Victor... Please..." My voice broke with sorrow and my emotions were in dispair. "Enough ostrisizing... I'm part of the team... Aren't I?"

~He glanced at me. "You know why Rob avoids you?"

~I shook my head.

~"He's scared of you and wants you off the team. You tried to kill him, and he told us to be cautious, but Star went ahead and started talking to you and started interacting with you. She kept telling Rob that it was all good, but he ordered me to stand by his side... I didn't agree with him 'cuz I know for a fact you were protecting li'l ol' BB and that your reaction was only instinct. I tried to explain but was ignored me, the almighty jack-ass," he glanced at my amused fascade. "Sorry, but I think it was shit of him to do that to you. You've proved your worth more than once on the team. The way you take care of Logan shows that you'd never intentionally hurt one of us, and since you know now, I love you like my sister that I never wanted and I'd never abandon you like he wanted."

~My jaw unhinged. "Thank you, Cyborg... I love you like the brother I never wanted, and I'll stand by you, too," I glanced back down at Garfield's steady rising and falling chest.

~"Woah, Rae! I just remembered! Don't tell me..." He looked at me grinning and winked. "You and BB right?"

~"Um..." Timid rose to power in my mind and filled my cheeks by blushing. I looked down at my hand in Gar's. "I guess so-" His fingers twitched around mine. "-I'd really like to be..."

~Cy released a booming laugh and clapped me on the back. _That's my old Cy..._ I smiled back at him. Just then, Robin entered with a scowl shot at Cyborg then at me. I looked back down at Beast Boy in an attempt to hide my shame. He seemed not to care. "So I take it Star's convinced you she's fine, too."

~"Actually no, traffic light. I went against your orders and spoke to my sister; she is family after all," he nudged me reassuringly with his large elbow.

~"So noone's following my orders now..." I felt intense adgitation eminating from him, and I dropped Gar's hand back down on the hospital bed.

~"Well, Richard," I began. He held a hand up to silence me, and I complied until Cy spoke up for me again.

~"Don't be an ass, Rob. Let her talk."

~He scowled at me but listened to the much older Victor. I drew in a deep breath. "Do you trust me?"

~His eyes widened; well, I think they did anyway. He hesitated before giving an ambivilant nod.

~"Richard, I've realized my actions towards you were malicious, but you must realize my intense devotion to the team," I paused hopefully.

~"I do, and I realize you are part of our family."

~"Good. Now, you must know how that Gar and I have... been... Well, yes. Sort of a couple, I suppose. Correct?"

~He nodded curtly.

~"I was acting out of pure instinct to protect my..." I mulled over the words in my mind.

~"Mate?" Vic voiced my thought and I nodded shyly.

~"Woah, woah, woah. So you and Gar...?" He blushed.

~My eyebrows raised again, and I felt Lust and Happy run free. "Um... we have not had sex, if that's what you're thinking..."

~He sighed in relief. "That would complicate things in the Tower."

~"Why?" I retorted rashly. "You and Star do it all the time! Have you forgotten I'm an empath? Besides even Karen and Vic..." I clapped my hand over my mouth and Brave laughed along with Rash and Rude.

~Cy and Rob where wheeling back. "We forgot _that _detail..." Rob whispered.

~"I suppose you did," I sniffed. _Why am I so emotional? Does this have to do with Gar?_

~Immediately after my thought, we heard a groan and a yawn and spun around to find Beast Boy blinking rapidly in confusion.

~"Boo-yah! He's back online!" exclaimed Cy triumphantly dancing in a circle.

~"Dudes! What happened?" He asked us groggily; then, he looked up at me. "Man," he reached up and was restricted by the IV's in his arm. I sat next to him on his bed. "I had the best dream about you..." He reached up and stroked my face sending chills down my spine.

~Another swish of the med ward door reavealed Starfire holding a cup of tea. She saw me sitting on Gar's bed speaking to him and squealed in joy, causing her to drop my tea and shatter the glass it was in. She never gave the fragmented cup another thought and rushed over to Beast Boy's side and spoke in rapid Tamaran to her boyfriend who simply shook his head in amazement. "Friend Beast Boy! You are well!" She reached for him.

~"NOOO!" We all shouted before she shared a bone crushing hug with the fragile Gar, and she halted dead in her tracks at our plea.

~She slapped her forehead while I sighed in relief and released my death grip on his hand. "Forgive me, friends. I have pulled 'the blonde haired moment.'"

~BB chuckled and smiled. "Wow, maybe I should go into a random coma more often..." He looked up at me and his face softened as did his smile, and, inevitably, my stomach did backflips while my emotions ran free. Gently, he raised my hand in his to his face and kissed my hand sweetly.

~"We have a lot of things to talk about..." He smiled kindly at me again and pulled me closer.

~"Um... Um... Ok?" I stuttered uncontrolably.

~He drew me in and whipsered quietly, "We need to be alone for a while..." He grinned devilishly.

~I blinked rapidly and Lust became simply overjoyed at the fantasy she devised. "We'll be alone soon enough, BB."

~His eyebrows raised and a desiring look crossed his face. "Woah... Lust comes on strong now a days..."

~"You know it..." I revealed an impish grin from under my hood. "Everybody out," I demanded, and they capitualted without question.

~I faintly heard Starfire's voice after the door closed. "I do believe our friends are going to be intimate."

~I could almost see the joy in her face as she announced her thoughts.

~"Now back to you..." I leapt on the hospital bed without warning.


	10. Beast Boy Answers

**No... I'm not changing it to M... Because, well, you'll find out! Sorry it's going to be a short chapter but not as short as the first. It's just for detail about...well... Please keep reading and reviewing.**

Beast Boy Answers

Chapter 8

~I leaped onto the hospital bed without thought and snatched the IV's out of the precariously perched bags, spilling filtered water that kept him hydrated.

~"Rae!" Gar rolled his eyes and gasped in exasperation.

~Timid forced me to look down and blush heavily. "Sorry... I guess we didn't have the same idea in mind," I blushed again this time though, even Lust was embarrassed.

~"Not really..." He gazed at me curiously. "I guess you couldn't control that, but," he grinned shamelessly. "how could you resist me?"

~I just shook my head in slight shame. "I'm sorry... Um... What did you want to talk about before I took the wrong idea?"

~"Well... I think I like your idea better..."

~"Garfield..." I warned darkly.

~"Fine, fine," he held his tethered hands up defensively.

~There was a moment of awkward silence before he spoke again. "So... I wanted to ask you if you really meant what you said when I was in that coma thingy."

~Fear crept into the front of my brain when I answered, "What did I say?" I pulled my hood down over my face even further to hide a creeping blush.

~A disappointed look crossed his face. "Maybe I dreamed it," he closed his eyes and lay his head back down on the pillow.

~There was a moment of tense silence.

~"I love you!" I blubbered. _Damn you, Affection!_

~His eyes snapped open, and he choked on his own spit before sputtering, "Wwwhhhaaattt?"

~"I love you! Dammit! I love you!" I cried aloud, covering my face.

~He paused a moment before breaking the pregnant silence, "I heard you the first time..." My heart sank, but he smiled.

~My shoulders involuntarily slouched, and I looked away. "Epic effing fail."

~He laughed gently, leaned up weakly on his elbow, and wrapped his other muscular arm around me pulling me closer.

~"I love you, too, Raven. I love you, too."

~I snuggled closer to his chest and all my emotions, yes even Anger, fell in love with my green bean.

~Then, reality came crashing in on me, I snatched up, and Doubt filled my brain with fearful images. "What now?" My voice was filled with worry.

~"What do you mean, upendo?" He lazily looked up at me.

~"What do we do now? I mean... I love you and all, but how can we function in fights? Are we going to be different? What-" I slapped my forehead in despair at my lack of ability with words.

~"Don't do that, love," He carefully took my hand in his and kissed my palm while I simply stared into his emerald eyes. He pulled me back down on the hospital bed and held me close while stoking my hair.

~"Gar," I nuzzled his chest.

~"Yes?" was the aloof reply.

~"Did you hear everything I said?" I gazed up at him, a worried expression contorting my expression to a grimace.

~A lop-sided smile made its way on his lips. "Every word," he paused for what seemed like an eternity. "So, what IS a real kiss?"

~A seductive grin replaced his lop-sided smile. My heart hammered on my ribs surely bruising them, but my voice was sure, steadfast, and even enticing. "Would you like me to demonstraight?"

~"Certainly," He winked and that was the only excuse I needed.

* * *

_Bumblebee's Point of View:_

~ _Finally... I am so glad BB's back online... I never thought Victor would ever be that upset over anyone... much less Beast Boy... I wonder-_ My train of thought was interrupted by my fiancee scrambleing towards me.

~"Bee! Bee!" His face was bright with excitement. "You'll never believe this!"

~"What is it, Victor?" I was confused. He never ran towards anything but trouble, and if he ran from the medical ward to the kitchen to tell me something, it was bound to be worth gossip.

~"It's a visual! It's a visual!" He cackled like a hen and dragged me to the med ward's one way window where I heard intense laughter.

~"Victor! What the hell is going on?" I demanded before actually looking at the producers of such giggling - Richard and Kori. Their faces were nearly purple from laughing so hard. They continued to laugh hystarically holding one another for support until they both collapsed on the floor, which made Victor look through the window and continue to gaffaw.

~I looked through the tinted pane of glass and wished I wouldn't have. In the hospital ward was Beast Boy and Raven their clothes strewn all over the floor. I covered my face and turned away from the young lovers who were oblivious to the watching eyes. The two were irrevocably intertwined and careless of the prying eyes of their friends.

~_This isn't gonna end well..._ I thought but a more sensitive side contradicted, _Let the kids have their fun... They're just kids..._

* * *

_Back to Raven's POV:_

~ My emotions soared as did my morale. I sighed, "We're gonna be happy for a long, long time, BB."


	11. Testing Faith and Love

**Thank you all my loyal reviewers! Sorry about the last chapter... It was a progression chapter to display how BB x Rae finally bond for good! :)**

Testing Faith and Love

Chapter 10

~I woke up with a shaft of warm morning light filtering through the Med Ward's single window and stretching across mine and Gar's bare figures. I looked up at him from where I was lying and gently smiled as his eyelids fluttered and finally opened. "Goodmorning, Sunshine," he whispered after a moment smiling at his own little joke.

~"Goodmorning, Sarcastic Ass," I retorted playfully and winked.

~"Is that how you're going to treat me? After all I did for you?" He grinned and pulled me closer.

~I buried my head in his warm chest and whispered, "I love you, Gar, more than you'll ever know."

~"I love you too, Rae. I love you too."

~We lay there for a few more minutes before I rolled out of the bed and began throwing Gar his clothes that got accidentally blasted to the other side of the room during my fitful desire. I quickly donned my clothes and smoothed my frazzled hair down.

~Pulling Gar out of the ward, I teleported us to my dark room, which seemed lighter today, and ordered him to stay put while I took a brief shower and threw on a pair of skinny jeans and a tank top. I walked out of my bathroom slicking back my messy violet hair and yawning.

~"Well, where are we going today, my love?" Gar asked happily during my last yawn. I opened my eyes to reveal him standing with a boquet in hand and in jeans and a t-shirt.

~I asked the only thing that popped in my brain at the moment, "Was my shower really that long?" I gave him an impish smirk.

~He laughed so richly it made my thawing heart sing. "Forty-five minutes is enough time for a guy to do just about anything..." He continued to laugh... hard.

~"Oh..." I looked down slightly embarrassed. "So... I didn't know you had anything planned for today..."

~"Neither did I!" he grinned and his eyes sparkled.

~We continued to giggle and glance shyly at one another while I wrapped my obsidian energy around the both of us and phased us to the Common Room. We continued to smile at one another until we completely phased into the room where we were met by angry glares from our friends... except Star who was more exuberant than usual but seemed anxious.

~"What's up, dudes?" Gar asked still smiling.

~Robin scowled even more as he asked the innocent question and I rubbed my neck self consciously as I felt his probing glare.

~"You two have caused us a bit of a legal problem by what you two did last night."

~I knew that this was coming since last night, but I was able to shake the feeling then. Now, everything seemed more than real. I released control of all my emotions and they scattered. They were all frightened and enraged that our benevolent leader had such a lack of understanding towards my love and me. Logic ceased to make sense, Wisdom retreated to the deepest recesses of my mind, Knowledge silenced, and Timid cried... really loud.

~"What do you mean?" Beast Boy asked suddenly serious.

~I looked up at him and nervously grabbed his hand. "He... means that we're both underage... and..." I gulped and blushed slightly. "and we had sex."

~Gar snorted. "What's the big deal?" he shrugged. "I mean, it's not like I raped her..." He paused. "Right?"

~"Actually, Beast Boy, what you did is considered statutory rape," Robin shook his head in shame.

~"Oh..." was Gar's only reply.

~There was a pregnant silence and I simply sighed. I knew that there were two options that Rich would most likely consider, neither of which I liked. Option one was that he would turn us in where we would be consumed by our enemies we put behind bars. Option two was equally as bright. Option two was exile where we would wander around with nothing but eachother for Azar knows how long and die in the Canyons around Jump City. Bleak future right?

~Dick approached me still frowning. "We trusted you." He pointed an accusatory finger at me.

~Finally, Gar had had enough. "Well, Richard, I thought you would be most understanding since you seemed to bust a gut laughing last night. Also, I thought the fact that you banged Star as soon as we got back from Tokyo would help our case. You had no right to intrude on our business anyway."

~Richard fell into an offensive stance. "Take. It. Back." He hissed through clenched teeth.

~Gar threw himself in front of me into a protective stance. "Why should I? It's true," His voice was gravelly and filled with rage.

~Robin began to throw himself at Gar when I heard two voices yell at the same time, "NOOOO!"

~One voice was pained and cracked, but the other was strong and authoritative. I realized the weak one was mine.

~"Friends! Let us not fight!" commanded our princess friend.

~Robin tripped over his own foot and straightened blushing splotchily. "I'm sorry, Lilly..." He retreated to her side.

~She acknowledged him, "I forgive you, my Man of Iron."

~I scarcely heard them exchange words as I gazed at my beloved's face. It pained me to see how much he seemed to have wizened in a short matter of minutes. His face looked fierce and sad as if expressing my thoughts, which were nearly audible. He glanced at me with deep soulful eyes that made my heart ache with every beat. His once happy, carefree face was consumed with worry and regret. His clear, sparkling eyes were now veiled and lost, framed with dark circles under his eyes... They could have always been there but they seemed more prominent and now visible. Now, he looked at least five years older, which... twenty-two isn't old but it was different and more mature. He refused to smile and remained frozen as the others mumbled about what to do with us. I still had the same worried, sad look plastered on my face.

~Suddenly, there was a grand outburst from Cyborg. "I DON'T CARE WHAT THEY DID, TRAFFIC LIGHT! SHE'S MY SISTER AND HE'S MY BEST FRIEND!"

~Everyone in the room spun to see the confrontation between Robin and Cy. Victor was turning red on the flesh side of his face from his rage. His red eye glowed brighter as he prepared to take down the puny leader.

~"No," I said in my monotone.

~They all looked at me and back at the two fighting. "Don't fight... If we're really that much of a problem, we will leave without a fight." I put a hand on one of Gar's slumped shoulders.

~My tear ducts burned and my throat ached from my restraint to withhold the waterworks until I was alone. My emotions wept bitterly as I knew what was coming; I lowered my head in resignation and my heart fell. One way or another, Gar and I were no longer Titans; we were outcasts and on our own. The thought was morbidly fascinating and liberating. We would be on our own and not have to take orders from our anal leader with bad fashion sense, but at the same time, the thought of losing Cy, Bee, and Star made my stomach churn with hurt and worry. Overall, we all knew Gar and I would not be back to Jump City for a long time... if ever again...

~Another agrument errupted, but this time was from an unexpected source. "Richard, I respect that you are our leader, but I am your fiancee."

~The proverbial car crash sound echoed in my mind. Everyone but Gar and I were engaged... getting married... having babies in a healthy environment... The thought enraged me and the brand new, two day old toaster exploded with great finesse.

~Everyone spun around to me and simply stared as I felt rage build in me deeply causing my vision to blur. _No... Not Rage... Not now... That would give them a better reason to kick ME out. _At my pleas, my other emotions gained control of Her and held Her down while I calmed myself. They all watched as I closed my eyes and chanted my mantra in my head; I finally released the breath I had been holding and everyone relaxed... a little.

~The argument between Star and Dick ensued for five tense minutes. I was concerned with keeping calm and protecting Gar at ALL costs. I slipped my hand in his subconsciously and he rubbed his thumb on the top of my hand in a soothing manner. I finally regained all composure and looked up at him still worried. He gazed back at me glassy eyed... We both knew the final decision. The death penalty for a stupid mistake.

~Robin finally turned his back on his wife-to-be and demanded we hand over our communicators, which was vehemently disputed against in the case of danger, and he finally complied by allowing us one communicator... the one that hadn't been bashed in several times-mine. My beast lowered his head and handed his communcator to the green gloved jackass.

~"You have thirty minutes to get everything and say your farewells," Richard spun around without another word, cape billowing behind him, and exited the Common Room defiant and almost triumphant.

~There was a moment of silence and I looked at my worn Converse, and a warm stream fell from a corner of my eye and lingered on my chin. I sniffed and looked up to see Gar's eyes welling up with tears as well as Star's, Bee's, and Cy who was already weeping profusely.

~I had to leave then. I phased through the floor without a second thought, taking BB with me. We teleported to my room and collapsed in the floor in eachother's arms weeping bitterly.

~"It was just a mistake... It was just a mistake..." Gar kept whispering over and over between sobs. "We really... They... It happens all the time! Why does it mean so much now?"

~I silently let the tears fall while I held his head on my chest. "I don't know, baby... I don't know... He's been looking for an oppertunity to get rid of us for a long time, Gar..."

~"I know, but he... I... We trusted him! We expected kindness from this hardass!" He continued to cry in my tank top.

~"I know... I know..." I stroked his hair gently and cooed to his through my own tears. His sobs finally came to hiccups and I gently wiped his tear streaked cheekbone with my thumb.

~"No matter what, my love, we haveeach other."

~He reached up to my face and pulled my stained face to his. "My Violet..." he barely breathed.

~"My Beast..." I whispered back.

~He gave me the most passionate kiss he ever had in our short lived relationship. It started slow but slowly built in intensity, going from sweet to him taking turns gently sucking on my upper and lower lip to him forcing my lips apart and stroking my bottom lip with his tongue, and I allowed his tongue to enter my mouth where it built in intensity even further. He kissed me like we were dying right then. One second he was kissing me passionately, the next he pulled away and took a shaky breath. He shook his head and sighed, "Just bring your costume and what you're wearing... We'll manage... I'll get my things..."

~I looked up at him as he rose. "Wait... I know a spell or phrase rather that can compress whatever we need into a very small object..."

~His face brightened a little. "Tent, sleeping bags, water-"

~"Food, clothing, weaponry..." I grinned darkly. "Whatever we need..."

~"It's a deal," he smiled weakly back at me.

~We dashed around the Tower finding everything that would come in handy on our 'extended trip.' Strangely enough, we crossed paths with noone but Silkie, Star's pet. Beast Boy picked him up and cooed to him like a baby, "I'm gonna miss you so much, buddy... Take care of Star for me cuz I know our little jackass friend won't, right?" The worm made a strange gurgutual sound and Gar smiled his classic Beast Boy smile that would make the hardest heart, even mine, melt.

~Gar had just set Silkie down when Star entered the room obviously troubled. "Friends... I have tried everything to make Robin change his mind... but he will not."

~"We know Star..." Gar and I stated in the same monotone.

~She flew up to us and gave us the biggest bear hug we'd ever received, and, this time, I reciprocated and the tears flowed again. Vic and Karen trudged in sadly, and they too joined the monster bear hug. We all cried like someone had died, but in reality, the odds of us dying were very likely even with extra powers...

~Robin sauntered in indifferent. "Get out. Your thirty minutes are long expired."

~"Roger that, Major Pain-In-My-Ass," I made an obscene gesture to him and said, "Adios, mi amigos... y senor, Jackass." I said with a grin.

~With those final words we phased to the outskirts of Jump City and to the edges of the canyon lands.


	12. Author's Note 2 VOTE!

**Ok... I thought I wouldn't need to do this but I need some help to keep you guys interested... I need to know which person/people you all want me to bring back for the perfect fight scenes... Just drop off a review for which you want, and I'll try to incorporate all the highest ranking people.**

**Slade**

**Terra**

**New OC who would most likely be Raven's brother**

**Ok... Now if there are others that you want me to bring back then... just drop off saying so... I'll do my best to put all the top dogs in :)**

**Thanks!**

**Der Rabe**


	13. Living with the Past

**Bwahahahaha! I have made you all interested now!... At least I hope I have... Keep R&Ring... Love the reviews you guys! If you have any suggestions about the direction of the story after this chapter, feel free to drop hints of what you want. :)**

Living With the Past

Chapter 11

~I gazed out over the massive orange and red canyons feeling as vast and empty as they. Their jagged mouths craved for us to enter into their depths and be killed and consumed by whatever lived in the bowels of them. The thought made me shiver and grip Gar's hand as the wind whipped our faces. Another morbid thought crossed my mind. _What if Terra lives here again?_

~Gar seemed to sense my discomfort and imitated my previous shiver as we continued to stare dumbfounded at the vastness of the canyons.

~"Great..." I finally said in my monotone. "We need to find a place to settle down because once the sun goes down..."

~"Yeah... Who knows what's out there at night..." Gar hung his head and my heart sunk again.

~I spun to face him and held his face in my hands. "We will survive this."

~He pulled my hands from his face and looked at me with his deep, veiled eyes then looked down. "I don't know any more, Rachel."

~The way he said my name was filled with resentment and doubt, but I had to be the strong one this time. "Garfield, listen to me," He lifted his eyes from the shifting dirt. "I love you, and I will protect you through thick and thin. Nothing will happen to us."

~He gazed at me for the longest time before a spark of hope re-lit his eye and turned to a blazing, determined fire. "You're right. There's no need to mope around anymore. We're free people now, Rae! Don't you get it?"

~His smile and his vigor for adventure had returned. I smiled back widely. "Yeah, Gar. Yeah I do."

* * *

_Back at the Tower: Robin's perspective_

~I suddenly felt sick like reality just struck me. _What have I done...?_

~Just then, the person I needed to see the most entered the room, and my burden was a little lighter. Everyone had been ignoring me ever since I cast Beast Boy and Raven out, which led me to the conclusion something wasn't right. I knew under normal circumstances that I would have never done such a thing to them, but this time it sent me over the edge. I didn't remember the past three hours either, which gave me another hint, but the door slid open, interrupted my train of thought, and revealed just the person I needed to talk to.

~"Dear Robin, we need to talk."

~"Yeah, Lilly, we do..." I began to open my mouth and my dear fiancee launched into a harangue.

~"Richard! How could you do such a thing? Friend Raven and Beast Boy have been original members since we began this force! We have a gap in our force without them! What were you THINKING? We interfaced when we arrived back from Tokyo and you still kicked them out over nothing! Friend Raven was correct. You were 'the jack of the ass!'"

~She turned from him with her arms folded tightly over her torso. I reached out to just graze her arm, but she snatched away scowling.

~"Lilly... I can't... explain... I truly can't..." I slumped over in the chair I was sitting in as shame crept over me. "I have failed the Titans..."

~"No, Robin. You have failed our friends," She turned away and walked out with her head held high like an empress and the door slowly slid shut behind her leaving me in the dark.

~_I am so sorry..._I doubled over in pain as a wave of nausea tormented me, and I threw up.

* * *

_Back at the canyons: Mystery Person :)_

~I casually watched the two Titans staring out over the vast expanse of the canyon lands. They were such vulnerable children... _They will be no match without the others; although, Raven may give me problems as I was ordered not to kill them... It's a shame really that they have to go that way... So much potential..._

~I looked around and summoned up all my strength to attack, but the time was not proper... not right... I darted back into the shadows of the rock and called for my minion to do my dirty work.

~_I will have this taken care of..._

* * *

_Canyons: Raven's perspective_

~We had been walking and flying over the dirt and clay occasionally hovering under the shade of the rock for over five hours and the sun was beginning to set. I felt weak and tired as sweat rolled down my neck and my parched mouth ached for water. Gar had laughed at me and told me I was precious and used to the city, but when we walked he was always a camel and had the ability to withstand such temperatures. The weather was an oppressive 90 degrees in the unusual, muggy March heat. Even though there were breezes, they were hot and the sand carried blasted our exposed faces. It was now 6:30 PM and my weariness nearly had the best of me. We slowly flew over the chasm in the Earth tired and feeling hopeless. Suddenly, my breaths ceased to come to me and my lungs began constricting and burning.

~"Gar..." The ridges of my vision were faded and fading fast. "I can't..." I lost the ability to speak and see, and I felt myself falling.

~"Raven!" yelled a fading voice in panic and I knew I was going to die.

* * *

_Canyons: Mystery person II's perspective_

~I had been watching them the whole time since boss man told me to do so. They really were boring except when Beastie Boy turned to help his violet haired witch, which enraged me greatly. I continued to drift around occasionally causing the sand to pick up on the slightest breezes and pelt them. My inner demon was happy to cause them such difficulty after they abandoned me like that. I was bemused by my reminiscing; however, I paid special attention to them as they meandered through my homelands.

~I occasionally got lost in thought and forgot about the pair until I would go across my memories of Raven and be filled with undying hate yet again. That witch stole my man from me; although I was blinded by my rage at times and an occasional rock would fly, I watched them for hours on end bored to death until exactly 6:36. Raven fell.

~Some bizzare instinct drove me to save the fallen Titan. My hands flew out by their own will and glowed yellow; a huge rock separated itself from the wall of the canyon and shot out just in time to catch that falling bitch, but my orders were clear. I was not to let anything happen to the two Titans.

~I held the boulder in mid-air and slowly lowered it to the canyon floor... That's where they were headed anyways, so I thought I could give them a little helping hand. With that, a malevolent smile made its way across my lips. I was simply overjoyed with the prospect of getting rid of Raven, but Beast Boy was a completely different story... He was my first love and my first loss...

~The slab of stone finally rested on the ground, and I jumped off the ledge being airborne for a whole ten seconds before I landed gracefully on a floating rock. The air whipped past my face and caused my hair to become disheveled which induced me to succumb to a giggle fit. I continued to throw myself off boulder after boulder until I neared Beast Boy who was 'diving to his love' inhawk form; from there, I simply lept off of my last rock and landed in a crouch by the grey-skinned demoness.

~Beast Boy morphed back to his human form also landing in a crouch. "Terra..." He hissed.

~I straightened and relaxed but he remained as tense as ever. "Hey, BB!"

~"Don't. Touch. Her." He growled again this time threatening me through bared teeth. His skin rippled.

~I put my hands up defensively; he growled again but I smiled. "Whoa, BB, whoa... I'm no threat..." _Yet..._ I thought smugly.

~He never rested his now offensive position, and he appeared ready to strike at anytime. "You're hiding something..."

~I finally rolled my eyes and put my hands on my now curvy hips. "Beast Boy, I just saved her ass, and you're concerned about me being an enemy," I gestured at Raven's unconscious figure. "If I were you, I'd be concerned for her health 'cuz you know you hear her heart and how weak it is."

~His eyes widened and his jaw went slack. "How... how do you know?" His eyes were glassy.

~I shrugged. "I feel the vibrations in the rock..."

~He stood but with stooped shoulders and a downcast look. "T... T... Terra... Please... Help us..."

~His plea would have softened the hardest heart and left them weeping, but I knew him well. "Bring her with you, and I'll provide y'all shelter and food..." _Dammit! Where'd that come from?_ I had had no intention of helping them but ended up doing so anyways and looked down angrily.

~I looked back up to see something out of place... Something wrong and something I had never seen before on BB's face. A tear...

~"Oh, BB..." I cried and threw my arms around him and felt my eyes well up with tears as well. "I'm so sorry..." We embraced for a moment longer and cried together.

~"T...Terra... I just... This isn't right..." He said after a moment more and pulled away.

~I blushed and looked down. "I'm sorry, BB. I guess it's been so long I forgot myself and..." I looked back up and his head was tilted to the side and his eyes were wider than ever. He paled almost to the color of flesh and appeared to have quit breathing.

~There was a pregnant silence. "She's dying..." he gasped.

* * *

_Back at the Tower: Bumblebee's perspective_

~"Sparky, have you seen the Boy Blunder?" I asked bitterly while sitting on the couch.

~"Nope," he walked in from the kitchen with popcorn in hand.

~"Have you looked for him?"

~"Nope," he clicked on the TV.

~"Do you know if Star went looking for him?"

~"Nope," he stuffed his face with popcorn.

~"Dammit, Spark! Say something else! Are you any help?" I snapped.

~"Nmmp," he muttered around his half eaten popcorn.

~"Ugghhh..." I sighed in resignation.

~I turned to face the TV when the doors to the Common Room slid open. My head did a complete 180 to see who it was. It was Robin.

~"You..." I sneered.

~"I need to talk to everyone now if you don't mind," he looked about nervously.

~"Why do you need to talk about something now, Dick?" I asked nonchalantly and turned my attention to the flashy TV.

~He paused a moment before cautiously asking, "Karen, Vic, have you seen Star?"

~We both spun around to look at him dumbfounded. Victor spoke first. "We thought she was with you, man. We thought y'all needed some 'alone time.'"

~He looked down obviously beaten. "I haven't seen her since around five..."

~"And you thought she was with us..." I stated the obvious and knew it.

~He nodded slowly. "She left to find them so-"

~Rob was cut off by the wailing alert and flashing red lights. "Titans, trouble!"

~Vic rolled his eyes and lept off the couch. "No really?"

~There was a strange ticking sound and Vic tackled Rob and shouted, "GET DOWN!" Instantly there was an explosion on the doors of the Common Room, and in stalked a robotic spiderlegged backpack on the one and only Gizmo of the HIVE behind him- Brandt and what I assumed to be Emma but I couldn't tell because she resembled Beast Boy but sandy blonde.

~Then came the gravelly voice of an angry man. "Did you miss us?"


	14. Living with Life's Choices

**Pardon the shift in perspectives in the prior chapter... With Raven at Death's door I didn't figure I should keep the perspective as hers when there's so much going on... (: Anyways... Thanks all of you reviewers for the support, input, and occasional ass chewing lol :) Now... On with the story!**

Living with Life's Choices

Chapter 12

_Canyons: Terra's perspective_

~I just watched him with envy. He cared for her with such intensity and devotion that I soon felt a gaping hole in my chest from years of neglect. I had helped them back to my 'woman cave' as soon as Beast Boy told me Raven was dying... The only reason I did so was because it would kill him to watch her die; plus, I was ordered to protect both lover under any circumstance. I justified taking them in for that purpose, but truthfully, I just wanted to be near BB.

~I don't think he was ever that way about me... I got off the rock I was perched on and went to refill Raven's IV bags. I had IV's, water, food, bandages, and anything else a stranded hiker might need, but I had had no use for them until now because I usually let them die. I replaced her bags and returned to my spot. I watched him with avid curiosity as he displayed such affection over the half-demon. She occasionally stirred, and he just gave up after a while of trying to wake her.

~"Terra, do you know what's wrong with her?" he asked hopefully.

~My medical knowledge had grown over the years, and I answered, "She's just dehydrated... That's all..." I wrapped my arms around my knees and stared at the ground as I was not absolutely sure what was wrong.

~He looked at me and his eyes were wide and the circles under them were dark and apparent. "You don't know..."

~How could I lie to him anyway? "You're right," I reached out to his hand but he pulled away. "I don't know, BB."

~He mimicked my seated position, his eyes never leaving the pale girl. She occasionally would twitch and groan and BB flew to her side every time. He was such a good person and I was trying to rid the world of the two and their friends... my former friends. I had to face the facts. I was a killer. I was no longer their friend. I was their enemy and their demise.

~Suddenly, I was yanked from my thought process by the groans and murmurings of Raven. Beast Boy was immediately at her side staring at her with an intense gaze.

~"Rae..." he whispered almost to where I couldn't hear.

~"Gar..." she coughed violently and her eyelids fluttered open and closed. "Gar..."

~"Raven, I'm here... I'm here..." he sounded desperate and broken.

~Her eyes snapped open and she snatched up breathless. BB fell back with a sigh of relief, but his concern returned when Raven's giant eyes remained open wide and appeared to see things that weren't in front of her.

~"Garfield, you have to go back to the Tower... Now..." She groaned deeply and coughed.

~"Rae, are you ok?" he rose up again and knelt by her side, looking her in the face.

~"It doesn't matter..." She looked up at him fiercely, which provoked my anger. "Go to the Tower. Now."

~"I'm not leaving until I know you're gonna be fine..." he replied indignantly.

~"I had heat stroke, ok? I'm fine now... just a little weak..."

~I cleared my throat in an effort to break momentum of the argument. I began to feel like a massive agrument was about to go on around here, interrupting the peace of my cave.

~"You..." she gasped.

* * *

_Back at the Tower: Bumblebee's perspective_

~The three sauntered in as if they owned my fellow Titans' Tower.

~The scrawny kid Gizmo laughed manically. "Nice place, butt-sniffers. I guess we'll have to take it again!."

~I had heard about the infamous run in with the HIVE when the Titans were still new; without Richard, they had kicked my friends out of their own home and had taken Sparky's right arm (well at least the scrawny kid had detached his arm.) When Richard reappeared, the Titans kicked them out, but we were now three men short instead of one. We knew that Raven and Beast Boy were somewhere in the Canyons, and inevitably, Starfire had gone to find them as she had stated she had 'the bad feeling' about them. Now, we were faced with a tech freak, a bad ass pseudo-sorcerer, and a pseudo-Beast. Oh, joy.

~I pulled my lasers out to inflict well deserved wounds, but was stopped by Victor's hand.

~"Is there a way to discuss this?" asked a diplomatic Robin.

~Brandt laughed heartily, lifted his hand, and a ruby shot of electricity flew out and connected with Richard's chest sending him flying across the room and cracking a window. Vic was in action immediately sending cannon blasts out to the annoying child towering above us, and I joined in attacking the scar-faced Emma with my lasers.

~Vic got a few well paced hits and went physical shortly after Gizmo attempted to dissect him... again... Richard tried continually to defeat Brandt with his martial arts but was stopped every time by a blast of energy; soon, however, Rich did something I'd never seen before... He pulled out a 9-millimeter pistol and fired shot after shot at his evading enemy. Richard too clipped Brandt several times, and our enemy seemed to weaken but persisted still. Emma lunged at me while I was momentarily distracted by gunshots, but I was able to shrink myself to an insect size and attack from there. Sadly, my lasers were no longer fatal but continued to inflict pain on the ugly animal. She swiped and howled as I attacked her legs and her face.

~Emma let out another ear piercing howl and began to retreat faster than I could fly... which was fast. I returned to my normal size and she lunged again; this time, she pinned me to the ground with her rough claws and beat my face with one of her paws until my conciousness began to fade.

~"KAREN!" I heard Vic scream over all the commotion. I feared what I figured to be my end. I thought I was going to die just like the rest of us. The remaining HIVE members weren't playing anymore. We were going to die.

* * *

_Back at the Canyons: Raven's perspective._

~"You..." my head nearly exploded from the rush of blood and norepinephrine to my brain. I looked back at Gar. "What HAPPENED?"

~He spoke calmly. "Terra saved you from falling down a rivene..."

~"It was actually just a trench... A BIG trench... Rivenes have water..." Terra bothered to interject condescendingly, which drove me to leap up and stare up at her. She glanced down at me and looked out at the night sky beyond her cave.

~"Don't talk to him like that," I growled and my vision swam from standing so abruptly.

~"Talk to him like what?" Terra lashed back. "Like a human?"

~My vision blurred black then red. I realized what was happening when the glowed red, and I covered my face ashamed.

~Terra snorted at my response. "See... You can't even control your powers, and I can now."

~I felt a shrinking presence and fear eminating from Gar and struggled to reign in my emotions but failed. "BECAUSE YOU'RE WORKING WITH SLADE AGAIN!"

~Terra reeled and gasped with a horrified look on her face. "How... How did-? How could-? Who said such a thing?" She bounded back from the proverbial hole she was digging.

~I smirked up at her tanned face and blue eyes. "Visions... Remember? I'm a witch in your eyes, remember?"

~There was a moment of tense, dark silence until I glanced at Gar whose face was pale. I walked over and rested my head in the crook of his shoudler. "I'm sorry you had to hear all that..."

~He stroked my hair, eyes still on the traitor. "I'd rather kn-"

~He was cut off by a battle cry and vivid green bolts of energy breaking the dark of the night.

~A familiar voice cried out, "You will not harm my friends, traitor!"

~"Starfire!"

* * *

**Sorry about the wait for the chapter, and it's still short! Aaaahhhh! I hit a writer's block so... (:**

**Review anyways!**


	15. Letters From the Wasteland

**I honestly hope that you all are still interested :) Drop me reviews! The more I have, the more incentive I have to finish! Thank you all again! **

Letters From the Wasteland

Chapter 13

~"Starfire!" I hoarsely cried in unison with Gar.

~She grunted again and blasted the ground all around Terra with her lime green energy. Terra's eyes glowed an ominous yellow and the stone rose up in the formation of walls to protect herself from the Tamaran. Gar snatched me into the hold of his strong arms and covered me as Star broke through the sandstone sending shards flying everywhere. I watched in horror but was held back as Terra grinned maliciously and turned the daggers of rock in our direction.

~"NO!" I yelled and flung myself from Garfield's arms and thrust my hands forward, glowing black. All time seemed to fast forward as the jagged rock came hurdling towards us. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" I yelled coarsely.

~Dark energy burst from my hands joined with vibrant green, shattering the projectiles and knocking Terra back a few feet. She glared at me but was attacked by a giant, green wolf who began mauling her.

~"Friend Beast Boy! Stop!" Starfire cried in despair. Terra began to yell for help and began crying.

~Blood began to drop off The Beasts claws, but he paid no mind to the damage inflicted upon the blond. She was now unconscious and bloodied. Now doubt she'd have numerous scars on her curves and her face.

~"Beast Boy! Stop!" I screamed and darted over to stop him thought the chances were small he would relent from attacking further.

~The Beast looked up at me with his giant, emerald eyes and paused his assault. I stood on the ground and looked up at the seven foot wolf's face, and he looked down at me with no malice in his eyes. He closed them momentarily and backed away from Terra as he did so. Star went over to speak to him softly in Tamaran while I tended to Terra's wounds. The Beast's fur still prickling from his recent attack; he licked his massive paws clean of the geomancer's blood and curled up in a corner of the cave never quitting his intent gaze on the blond and me.

~I felt his eyes boring into my back as I healed Terra's wounds. Closing cuts wove like fabric and knitted together with only faint pink scars left as evidence of an incident. My blue energy fell on the curvy blond and healed her completely. I checked for internal damage, and there were only a few broken capillaries... All in all, nothing major... I was slightly disappointed there wasn't any internal bleeding that I couldn't heal, for I wished for her to be out of my life forever. I should have let Gar kill her, but I was already a killer and I didn't want him to have to live with the knowledge he was as well.

~I was soon done healing her, but Anger soared in my brain and linked arms with Brave; together they called to me and persuaded my body to sway towards the blond. A cold feeling spread through my stomach and traveled into my veins and eventually to my heart. My whole person was numb as I glared at the unconscious girl lying on the sandstone floor. Rage built as I remembered that she was my Gar's first love; then Desire joined with Rage. The deadliest combination of emotions grasped at my control. However, Wisdom, my most developed emotion, had to coax the others that all would be fine, but I felt her uncertainty. My powers flared.

~A faint voice pulled me from my reverie, and I realized that I was being shaken. I looked up from Terra, but no one was shaking me and the others seemed to be shaking, too. "Raven! What is happening?" Starfire called frantically from the other side of the cave.

~An ear splitting crack resounded in the cave and a jagged line divided me from my beloved and my friend. "SHIT!" I threw an obsidian shield around us all. Only a moment after my protective shield enveloped us, the cave's walls came crumbling down, and their impact diminished my strength somewhat; I held my shield until the dust settled, nevertheless.

~After the dust had settled, I lowered my defenses and weariness plagued me again. I sank to my knees in relief that we were all unharmed. The sandstone rubble dug into my bare knees but I didn't care. I had saved my friend, my love, and my enemy. A wet nose nudged my hair and began sniffing near my ear, which sent a chill from that side of my body to the other, and I giggled because it tickled. A rough coughing sound came from the very large snout, and I cupped the giant wolf's face and nuzzled his muzzle.

~Two aw's snapped us out of our strange romantic moment - the moment between animal and half human. We looked around to see Star holding Terra's waist in an effort to keep her standing. The peridot eyes of Starfire and even the cobalt eyes of Terra glowed brightly in awe.

~Terra smiled, and I could sense it was genuine. "I'm doing wrong..." she confessed. "Raven, I think you healed more than my physical wounds," She tapped her head.

~"Impossible," I simply replied to her suggestion.

~"No! Seriously! It all makes sense now!" She bubbled with enthusiasm. "I heard your emotions talking to mine! I heard them, Raven! I heard them!"

~My eyebrows knitted together as I tried to understand this anomaly. Logic came to my rescue, _Raven, you can establish telepathic links, correct?_

~_Right..._ I answered hesitantly.

~_Then it stands to reason that you subconsciously opened a telepathic link to the traitor, and we tried to turn her emotions while we could have the chance. She is working for Slade, however... He may have a stronger hold on her emotions than any of us ever may..._

~ _Thanks, Logic... It makes some sense now... _I shut the doorway to my mind and came to again.

~"I think I may know what's going on with that, but I still don't trust you," I warned trying to sooth my churning stomach.

~"Gimme a chance, Rae!" she pleaded batting her eyelashes.

~I cringed as she used Gar's pet name for me. His name for me was never to be used by anyone else, but I had to restrain.

~"My epiphany may be wrong..." I cautiously stated.

~"You worry too much! Now, we've gotta get to the Tower before the modified HIVE takes care of your friends, right?"

~With that, we all began to take flight except Gar who decided to run as his Beast and managed to keep up and even be faster than Star at times. I worried about overexertion but knew that Gar was far more capable than I and never tired while he was the Beast. Although, I didn't know why he remained in that form.

~I contacted his mind and threw a whispy link to his brain. _Gar, can you hear me?_

~All I felt was intense consentration on his running until he slowed his pace somewhat. _Raven,_ acknowledged a husky, growling voice that was in no way intimidating or threatening to me.

~_Beast,_ I acknowledged back then asked. _Why does Gar stay in this form?_

~_Well, he feels the need to keep me around... He senses something awry..._

_~Thank you, Beast._

~I began to excract the link but was stopped. _Raven... Do you think you could keep the link open until we know all is well at the Tower?_

I paused a moment a little shocked at the request. _Of course I can..._

_~One more thing before we speed up..._ It was only then that I realized we were lagging behind the others.

~_Ok?_

_~I love you, my Violet._

~I gasped audibly a second as I realized that both sides of my man loved me. _And I you, my Beast..._

~There was a throaty chuckle and we sped onward towards the rising sun and towards the Tower and an uncertain future. But what truly IS certain?

* * *

**Come on! gimme a little feedback! Plus... I'll only post the next chapter when we have 3,750+ reviews! hahahahaha! I know I'm evil... (:**


	16. Near Finality

**Ok... This is difficult for me to say, but this is the next to the last chapter of this long drawn out story (: I made everyone wait until I got a sufficient amount of views before finishing this epic tale. haha not. (:**

Near Finality

Chapter 14

~We flew (and ran) back to the Tower as fast as we possibly could, not speaking the entire way. I continued to have bizarre visions and odd feelings as we drew closer where we found, to our surprise, the other three members of the Titans bloodied and bruised.

~"Raven!" called a breathless Robin.

~My strong dislike towards the leader made me turn my back.

~"C'mon... Rae... We... We need all of you..." panted Cy, flushed on his dark flesh.

~No one spoke and the silence was tense in the cool morning. All that could be heard were the rising birds and the panting of our friends.

~"What happened?" I asked in my monotone as if I didn't already know the HIVE had beaten them.

~"The HIVE..." Robin panted, unable to catch his breath.

~"And Slade," added Bee very matter-of-factly while wiping blood from her forehead.

~I heard a small gasp from behind and felt our blond traitor's frustration and fear.

~"And what do we have here?" Cy straightened and looked around at Terra.

~She shrank back behind Starfire who promptly shoved her forwards. "You... You don't think I did this do you?" her voice reflected her fear and a pebble flew straight up in the air.

~"We think you're associated with it," Bumblebee's voice seemed to grow more agitated by the second.

~Terra's curvy body trembled and a tear fell down her face.

~_Don't believe her tears, _A slight brush of fur swept past my leg. I didn't even have to look to know it was Garfield. _They are as false as her facade._

_~And that is what I believe, my love,_ I assured.

~_Then you believe correct._

The Beast fell silent and continued to watch this charade with waves of mild amusement emanating off of him.

~"I don't know what's happenening at all..." She continued.

~There was a moment of speculative silence, and Cy turned his attention to me. "What do you think, Boss?"

~The address caught me off guard but I spoke in my monotone, "We don't trust her, plan something, and kick some ass."

~He smiled wide and warmly. "Couldn't have said it better myself, sis," He cast his eyes around my small figure and looked up at the Beast. "What's the deal with ol' BB?"

~I smiled to myself slightly amused by Gar's anticipation at what I might say. "Just a precaution..."

~"Oh... Ok..." Cy shrugged and seemed to be dissatisfied with my answer but did not pry.

~He turned his attention to the blond now being held captive by our tall friend. "As for you, blondie, we need to know all we can before we go chargin' head first into a battle with Slade."

~Her tear-stained face twisted and she spat and the ground in front of her. "I'll never help you defeat him."

~This time my emotions flared and the sloshing water of the sea spouted up and showered us with its briny water. I slapped the salt water out of my face and confronted the flaxen haired girl. "Now why is that, little traitor? Do you not want us to hurt your little boyfriend? Your little... mate?"

~Gar growled deeply and came to my side.

~"Wait... What?" demanded Cy, Rob, and Bee in unison.

~"That's none of your business, little witch," Terra snapped back and struggled vainly against Star. "Lemme go!"

~Star's grip only tightened. "You will tell us what we need to know, Terra! I do not wish to hurt you, but I will!"

~"I want to kill all of you, and I will," She replied curtly and grinned, eyes glowing yellow momentarily, and the earth began to shake.

~I felt Gar tense up beside me and yelled, "Star! Drop her!" Instantly Starfire dropped the glowing girl and retreated.

~My stomach rolled as I saw my love leap over my head and attack the blond. "Don't get in his way unless you want to die," I called out over the roar of the Beast.

~We all watched in mild horror and fascination as the earth shook more violently with each blow Terra received from Gar. His claws dragged across her body and severed the skin's fibers with an almost audible _riiippp_. Blood stained the yellow sands and flowed from now motionless form being pulverized by my changeling. The ground began to quiet with the quieting spasms of the bloodied girl. Suddenly, there was no breeze, there were no birds, the waters' sloshes quieted, and an ominous feeling filled the air making breathing difficult. Gar backed away from the motionless geomancer and retreated to my side. All eyes rested on the blond in anticipation.

~_There is no need to watch her, Vi..._ The Beast's saddened voice resounded of the walls of my skull.

~_Is she...? _There was no need to finish the sentence, for we both knew the answer.

~A heavy gloom was lifted from my heart as I knew the infamous girl was now dead, and the knowledge that she would never bother us again filled me with joy.

~"She is a fallen Titan..." began Robin.

~We all spun to face him, but this time Star was the one to intervene. "You dim-witted jack of the ass!" Her face was blood red with rage. "This... _thing_ tried to kill us!" She kicked Terra's limp arm.

~My jaw came unhinged at how she had such a reaction because no one had ever, under any circumstances, seen Starfire lose her cool. This time was the exception. She was always so innocent and calm or frightened... She was like a child in our eyes until now that she had rebelled against her fiancee and leader.

~Star was now ranting at Richard in his face. I, slightly bemused, approached her and put my hand upon her shoulder, and she quieted immediately. She looked down at me sheepishly. "Forgive me, friends... I believe I have grown angry at my beloved."

~It was at this point that we all broke down in hysterical laughter in the morbid humor of the moment. We were homeless and defeated, fighting amongst ourselves, and the dead, blood-encrusted body of an enemy lay in front of us now turning blue. It was simply maddening how used to odd situations we had become. Fortunately, we were able to laugh it off; in fact, I laughed so hard my abdomen ached and tears rolled from my eyes.

~I caught my breath finally and spoke with more authority than I knew I was capable of having. "Titans... We need to do what we do best."

~_Kick some ass? _I felt Gar's presence speak to my mind instead of the Beast's. I glanced to my side; the Beast remained, but his pink tongue snaked in and out of his open maw as he panted and wagged his tail like a common, domesticated house-dog.

~I laughed out loud as I heard this request and grinned at the other Titans. "As Gar said... Yes. Let's go kick some ass."

~The sun had long since gone overhead and had now begun to hide behind the skyline.

~Cy grinned his signature smile, Bee her classic smirk, Robin his usual scowl, and Star leaped for joy. We all knew the plan...

~I smiled and finally got to say what I'd been dying to say since I joined the team. "Titans, go!"

* * *

_At the Tower: Emma's perspective_

~"Stupid mutt..." The words stung like a dagger to my heart.

~I was used to it though... Gizmo was always condesending to me, but Brandt didn't mind a little animal love and continually beat the little bugger until he was unconsious. I didn't even want to turn into this but did anyways because Slade told me to... He promised Brandt and me anything we wanted and protection to our famlies if we defeated the Titans. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and Brandt still enjoyed the thrill of the kill. I, however, was the one getting beaten in every battle.

~The first time, the green boy changed into something like me, and I thought it would be fun to mess with the kid's mate. Boy, was that a bad idea... Not only did I suffer damaging gashes by the changeling, but the gray girl did some wreckage of her own after she killed Mammoth and Kyd Wykkid...

~The second battle, when we took the Tower, I got attacked by the black girl who flies... I guess she's like... a Bee or something... She shot me with those lasers and it felt like when you touch something and get shocked but magnified by nearly a thousand, but I finally got my paws on her. Slade had to scrape me up afterwards, though... He said something about me having a low tolerance for electricity like all animals.

~I rolled over on my back and stared at the ceiling as Brandt and Gizmo watched a porn show on the too-loud-for-my-animal-ears TV. I ignored the TV, rolled back over, and walked out of the common room. All was quiet except for the TV still ringing in my ears and a fruit fly or two. I wandered the unfamiliar halls until I heard a calm voice talking to itself.

~"And how do I rid myself of the children...?" A pause. "The only one worth keeping is the girl... and possibly the boy... Easily manipulated now that I have their parents under my control... Although... The parents would be rather irritating after a while, and the girl won't do anything without her mate..." There was an elongated pause and my fur stood on end. Then I heard clicking and tapping like that of a keyboard for a computer. "Ah... Welcome back Titans..."

~My stomach rolled over like when you eat too much steak and I darted back to the Common Room.

~_Brandt... Brandt... Brandt..._ I panted mentally.

~He lazily looked down at me and felt my alarm. _What is it?_

~_Slade... The Titans are back... This time it's all of them..._

~"Damnit! Gizmo, get your shit ready. We've got company..." He rolled off the couch and turned off the porno he and Gizmo had been watching.

~I heard footsteps on the roof and in the vents grow louder as Gizmo donned his gear.

~_They're here..._

* * *

_Raven's perspective_

~I reluctantly transported all of us (even the corpse) to the edge of the Tower. I feared I'd end up misplacing someone's limb in mid-teleportation.

~"Ok... Cy... You know what to do," I smiled and winked. He was already disassembling his left arm in preperation to launch our probe. "Bee... do your thing..." She shrank to the size of an Africanized Honeybee and landed in my cupped palm. I glanced down and back up at Star who was already in action carrying Robin on her back. I looked at Gar who now wore the Beast's stony face. "Bee, I'm gonna send you to the vents and that way you can weaken a few beams to our advantage. Cy's arm wont be far behind."

~I heard a squeaky, "You got it, boss!"

~With that, my dark energy enveloped the small figure and dissipated leaving my small hand empty. Cy launched his detachable arm which headed to the air ducts as well. Star took off towards the roof of the Tower without any demand, leaving Gar and me alone.

~_I feel your uncertainty, my Violet... _His voice was caring and worried.

~_I'm worried Gar..._

~_I know, love,_ he replied nudging my leg with his massive head. _You are a great leader and shall overcome all of your demon heritage tonight._

~I looked at him slightly perplexed. _If you say so, but I feel like I'm leading all of us to a certain death..._

~You always fear... Some things aren't what you think. Someone will die tonight but none of us...

I turned to the great beast and caressed his face. "I want to kiss you as my man one more time... just for good measure..."

~A tremor ran through the Beast's form and left a tall, muscular adolescent standing in my midst. I collapsed into his chest and his strong arms caught me. "Gar, I love you..."

~He laughed lightly and stroked my hair, sending chills down my spine. "I love you too, Rae... But we're never going to win a battle if we aren't involved..."

~I looked up and rolled my eyes. "One more minute..." I smiled up at him and gazed into his perfect emerald eyes feeling tears form in my own. I didn't want to die... Maybe I was being melodramatic, but I didn't care. I wanted my love, and I wanted him now and forever.

~"If you say so..." He continued to embrace me.

~"Besides, I give the go ahead on this mission..." I stood in the tips of my toes to reach his lips and tasted them with great affection driving me.

~I gently kissed him at first, but Passion drove me further and was mentally handicapped by the drive I felt. I moved to pull him closer to me and caught his upper lip while he gently pulled on my lower one; after a moment, we traded, which continued for a few more moments until we swapped again, but the intensity continued to grow and pull both of us in more and more. Soon, his tongue brushed my bottom lip begging for entrance, but I took no notice as my passion veiled all of my senses. Gar finally forced apart my lips and brushed his tongue over mine over and over; suddenly, something in my brain, most likely Wisdom, made me snatch back, leaving both us panting and him glassy eyed and with a mischievous grin.

~We stood for a moment trying to catch our breath when my communicator went off. "Raven here," I replied slightly breathless.

~"Friend Raven, it is friend Starfire and friend Robin. Shall we commence?"

~"With the plan? Then yes," I smiled slightly.

~"OHHH! Friend Raven! You are doing the blushing! We shall have 'the talking amongst girls' when we return!"

~Embarassment crept over me. "Tell the others to go ahead. Raven out."

~I snapped the communicator shut and looked at Gar who was still standing in the same place with the same look on his face.

~"C'mon, horny boy, let's go."

~Gar shook his head as if to clear it. Then, he transformed into the Beast again, making his skin ripple and change. Seconds later, a large wolf landed in his front paws beside me.

~"Let's go, Garfield."

* * *

~With that, we teleported to the entrance of the Tower with the dead blond being held by my energy. I dropped her and she rolled on the stony ground. "Stand back, Gar... I'm going to have to blow this place."

~_They know we're here._

~"That was the plan, love. That was the plan," he retreated behind me. I extended my hands to where my palms faced the Tower's wall "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"

~Murky, black power was thrust at the wall and produced a major hole in the base of the Tower.

~"Get the traitor, Gar."

~He gave a compliant nod, snatched up the stiff, and glanced at me.

~_Ladies first, dear._

~"Funny." I was a little agitated but entered anyways to find that I had blown a hole into the garage. "Slade himself will be down here, so the others can take care of the other three."

~A suspenseful moment passed. "Well done, Titans. You've found our weakness is at the base of things."

~Slade remained invisible until he walked through the door marked HALL empty handed.

~I gave him no response, and he continued. "I am glad you refrain from some witty saying like Robin... It grows rather tiring..."

~No response.

~"Ah, the silent one... I forget, Raven, for your father was a very talkative person... You take after your mother..."

~That set me over the edge and a wrench flew at his head. "Do. Not. Talk. About. My. Mother." I threatened through gritted teeth.

~"Of course, my lady." He turned to Gar's form, and his visible eye widened as he staggered back. "No..."

~"You got it, Slade," I hissed triumphantly.

~He attempted to regain composure. "Well, Raven, since you have killed her, you have nothing to take from me..."

~"Never trust a demon, remember?" I began to grow tired of all this talk and no action. Gar threw the blond to the side.

~Abruptly, Slade asked, "Can I make a deal with you, Raven and Garfield?" His voice sounded sincere and I detected no lie yet.

~"Let's hear your proposal." Gar agreed with me telepathically.

~"How about you let me go, and I make you a human with the benefits of having your powers?"


	17. Finality

**Ok... This truly is the last chapter lol. If I get bored or feel like its not complete enough, I'll add an epolouge. :) Please read the Author's Note at the bottom! And REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!**

Finality

Chapter 15

~"How about you let me go, and I make you a human with the benefits of having your powers?" His voice seemed sincere enough.

~_Don't listen to him, Rae. _

~I pushed Gar's presence out of my mind to pay full attention to Slade. "I'm listening..."

~Gar growled to my response and scraped my leg gently.

~"Well, Miss Raven, as you know, your father promised to restore me to my human state. You remember, do you not?"

~"Very well as a matter of fact," I growled.

~"You also have the power to do so, Raven."

~"Why would I in the first place?" Anger welled within me and reddened my vision.

~Slade chuckled, which shivers down my spine and restored my sight. "My dear child, don't you see? You will never be able to express your feelings and thoughts without endangering your friends and-"

~I dropped my hands and fell to my knees. Sadness overwhelmed me in waves of emotion and a single tear dripped from my eye causing dozens of lights to explode. "I want to be... fully human..."

~"And have your powers, correct?" His voice seemed not to change to the average ear but to me was filled with anticipation.

~"Yes..." My voice came out squeaky and weak.

~Gar roared in disapproval but was ignored. _Raven! Don't do this!_

~_But, Gar, I can be human and feel and love you openly!_

_~I love you the way you are._

~"What do I have to do?"

* * *

_Common Room: Bee's perspective_

~Pain seared through me back as I was slung across the room and into the wall. My head cracked against the east wall and hot liquid ran down my neck. At this point, we were getting our asses kicked again even with Kori...

~We needed Beast Boy. We needed Raven. We needed to win against them. What we needed was a miracle.

~As if the gates of heaven opened up when Vic hit the wall next to me, Raven riding on the back of Beast Boy (in his Beast form of course) burst the Common Room, and we all had our hope restored. All fighting halted as Beast Boy let out a pained roar.

~Raven did not look even remotely close to the appearance a savior would have. Her face was solemn, almost sad, and nearly resentful. My hope faded and was replaced by something darker - fear...

~I could not look away from her as she locked eyes with all of us. She glanced at me sadly, then at Victor sitting next to me with a guilty look, then at a paused Kori with repentance, then a death glare was cast at Richard. Her looks instilled wary fear in the souls of anyone she glanced at. My stomach groaned as acid built up like the suspense in the room; she moved her mouth but made no sound. Suddenly, a veil of black shielded us from a ear-splitting scream, howls of torture, and the yelps of a small child. The windows shattered around us and a torrential wind tore through the room, and the veil darkened to where it was opaque. Vic rolled over to me and held me in his arms as Kori and Richard had done. Who knew what just happened...?

~We heard the screams and howls die down and quit until a soft moan of a different tone took its place. This tone was not of pain but of agony and regret.

~The charcoal veil still cut us off from the rest of the world but faded slowly. Only when the shroud dissipated completely did we see what truly had happened. The windows and walls were completely gone leaving only a skeleton of the Tower and the floors. On the floors were shards of bloodied glass and glass covered bodies... not bodies... corpses. There was a small heap of green clothing with Gizmo underneath it all; next to him lay a muscular Brandt with daggers of glass in his veins, and across the room prowled a scarred and bleeding Emma. Her eyes finally locked on a windowless gap, and she began sprinting towards the gap with tears in her eyes and threw herself into the vast ocean with a crying howl.

~This was now, officially, the weirdest day of my life, but my thoughts were interrupted by weeping and gasping breath. I tore my eyes off the spot where Emma had leaped to her death and rested them on a pale, fragile girl with long black hair. She face remained obscured by hiding it in the fur of a blood encrusted Beast Boy.

~Rob finally seemed to be able to speak again and stood abruptly addressing the girl. "Who are you and why are you here?"

~And the girl looked up still holding onto the fur of our friend. Rob, who was the only one standing, staggered back and fell on the glass. The rest of us simply gasped and stared at the amethyst orbs staring back at us. There was no mistaking the pale girl's eyes and now identity. This was Raven.

* * *

_Raven's perspective:_

~The pain I was enduring was absolutely not worth the trade off. I couldn't think because it felt like my skin was being stripped from my bones and my soul from my mind. I faintly heard wails and moans of torment but took no notice as I tried to scream, as I tried to escape myself but could not. Suddenly, there was a presence with me in my mind, sharing my pain... my agony...

~_Rae... I... Will... Not... Let... You... Do... This... Alone_. The voice seemed as agonized as my mind felt, but I could not make sense of who or what it was. At this point, I didn't care. It shared my pain.

~I felt my power surge in a wave that rippled through my body, and I knew I broke the windows, which seemed to bring me morbid comfort as I knew Cy would have to replace them. My pain began to fade all too soon and finally allowed me to escape the hold of pain's muzzle by screaming so hard and loud I began to think I was going to scream out my lungs. The wind whipped and slapped my face with pieces of glass and severed skin. I continued to wail in pain as another voice or something some... sound joined my twisted howls. Soon, though, the torment and searing, back-breaking pain overcame me. Black overwhelmed my sight and pain flooded my brain with red.

~All I heard was the sound that had joined me die as well and sleep. I tried to feel whether or not It was dead but could not feel for the amount of pain around me. I lay on the hard ground for who knows how long until the black shroud was lifted from my eyes. Only then did I sit up but was forced back down by a sharp, ragged pain in my back and neck making my eyes close and back arch involuntarily.

~I lay there in paralyzing misery for only a few more moments before trying again. This time, the pain was bearable, and I was able to behold the massive skeleton of a building that was once my home. Glass was strewn across the floor and haphazardly protruded from the stiffs on the floor, which didn't bother me so much as what lay before me. A massive heap of forest green fur sprawled out in front of me barely breathing and covered in a blood red substance.

~That was the straw that broke the camel's back. I knew it was Gar. I knew this was all my fault. And I wept bitterly.

~I buried my head in his warm fur and cried tears of mourning- tears of loss. I faintly heard soft, padded feet prowling around and break into a sprint followed by a bone chilling howl of a tormented life; stirring beings began to move, and I felt their awe and horror as they truly took in what had happened.

~I pushed my pain and woe back in my mind and attempted to heal the wounds of my love. My shakey hand barely touched his fur when all his wounds knitted back together and all the glass removed itself from him. His breathing returned to normal, but I still wept bitterly and buried my head, once again, in his warm, bloody fur.

~Another being rustled, and I knew he stood from feeling his perplexity and sudden dizziness from a drop in blood pressure.

~"Who are you and why are you here?" The voice registered as Massive Prick Robin.

~Still weeping and clutching Gar's fur I looked up feeling a sense of shyness some over me.

~There was a collective gasp from the three behind him and the sudden revelation of my identity shoved Rob back and onto the floor.

~All of a sudden, a plea escaped my lips in my classic monotone, "Please... Don't be mad..."

~The four looked at each other with glances of shock and confusion until I interrupted them.

~"Gar... He's... He might be..." A sob choked me from finishing, but I finally managed to squeak, "He may be dying..."

~Good old Cyborg was the first to react; he whipped out the scanner in his right arm and bounded over to us, and I think I might have seen a tear forming in his human eye.

~"Uh... Rae?"

~I tore my eyes from the coarse fur of my own and cast a glance at Cy in acknowledgement of his address.

~"I kinda need you to back up from him... You're freaking out my scanners..." His scruffy voice was quiet and kind.

~Reluctantly, I released Gar and backed away only a couple of inches.

~A tense moment passed, and Cy let out a gaffaw loud enough to make all of us jump in surprise. "Ol' BB?" He laughed more. "He's the only kid I know that can sleep through all this shit!"

~His panicked laughter caused us to all fall into hysterics whether we wanted to or not, but the thing that kept us all from crying was the fact that we still had each other.

~"Oh friends! Let us rejoice with the eating of the 'junk foods' and the yellow beverage of mustard!" Star's eyes were was wide as the moon and filled with joy that we were all safe.

~"Um... Star?" Rob attempted to interject.

~"It is a wonderful day! We had ridded ourselves of the Terra and of the HIVE!" She babbled on and there was no stopping her. "And friend Raven has become..." she paused for the right word and I was completely amused by my friend's chatter. "Well... She is no longer gray! She is of normal color! And friend Beast Boy shall awaken, and we shall fix the Tower and shall feast upon the richest foods! This occasion calls for my favorite Tamaran dish, which is-"

~"NO!" We all shouted upstarting.

~She looked hurt, but I came in on the rebound. "Star, it's thoughtful of you but by the time we get done with the Tower and dispose of unneeded cargo," I pointed at the bodies. "We'll all be so tired we won't be able to enjoy your foods... Besides, how are you getting all these ingredients for this stuff?"

~"Oh..." The auburn haired princess looked down and smiled softly. "Well, 'the junk foods' will have to do!"

~At this point, we all laughed happily despite all the gloom and death surrounding us... even Richard. There was a small movement from Gar and his form began to shrink and return to normal. My eyes locked on him and would not move as all my emotions fluttered about excitedly.

~"Oh, man, was that a wild ride or what?" His voice was gruff and his hand flew to his head as he sat up.

~I inched closer to him and neared his face to the point where mine was only two inches away. His eyes remained closed for the moment.

~"Gar..." My voice came out softer than I had expected and in such a sweet tone it even shocked me.

~His eyes snapped open and he looked directly into the depths of my soul. He opened his mouth but no sound escaped; his eyes were the size of saucers and he softly touched my arm with a torn gloved hand. "Raven..." His eyes scanned me up and down from where he was seated. "You're... You're..." His voice could barely be heard. "Beautiful..."

~"You like bangs?" My voice was light and joking.

~All he did was nod with a gaping mouth. We simply gazed into eachother's eyes, and I lost myself in the lovely emerald orbs.

~I was jolted out of my reverie by someone (probably Cy) clearing their throat. We both snapped out of it and exchanged apologetic looks with the others.

~"Oooooohhhh! Raven! You're blushin'!" exclaimed Bee excitedly.

~"Oh, shut up."

~I couldn't stop myself from smiling and knew that this was my family and my love. I knew then that this was my home and where I belonged, and even though Slade got away, he gave me something I had always wanted. He gave me my life back.

~It turned out that all he asked me for was to destroy the HIVE and never fight him single handedly; he didn't even want me to restore him to his human self... He thought it was too vulnerable, and now, I'd never have to fight alone. I had Garfield and my friends... even Richard...

~Second most importantly, I was strong as I ever had been and my inner demon had been miraculously removed. I thanked God every day that he had been willing enough to rid me of the evil that had haunted me for nearly eighteen years and for the fact that he gave me the love of my life and a true family that cared...

~Who knows? I might start my own family with Gar... That is... If I helped fix up the Tower.

* * *

**AAAAHHH! It's done!**

**Now I'd like to thank all of you who read this including SGT Faust (or Mercenary Clown), Dark Rapture, SaphirePhoenix101, Titans Obsessionist, Wolvmbm, Chico Magnifico, Drackonian Prince, Mrs. Elita Prime 4ever, and bk00. AAANNNDDD I thank all of you that read but don't review even though I want you to! :)**

**Be on the watch out for all other stories! :)**


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